UK secret courts hide MI6 rendition role

Sami al-Saadi and Abdel Hakim Belhadj are expected to begin legal action against Jack Straw, the British former foreign secretary, and the British government next month, accusing them of complicity in their illegal rendition and torture.

This is while the Coalition government’s controversial changes to the UK’s legal system, confirmed in the Queen’s speech during the state opening of the UK Parliament on May 9, allowing certain court evidence to be heard from behind closed doors, are due to be published this week.

Meanwhile, the Guardian reported the proposed legislation was a direct result of pressure imposed by British intelligence agencies, MI5 and MI6, after it was revealed that they were “involved in the brutal treatment, and knew of the torture, of UK residents and citizens detained by the CIA.”

Earlier on April, while the British government initially denied complicity in the rendition of Belhadj, commander of anti-Gaddafi forces, to Libya in 2004, a letter from a senior MI6 officer confirmed the UK government’s involvement in the rendition scenario.

The publication of the Coalition’s controversial justice and security bill has been delayed due to a row between the UK premier David Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg over whether inquests should be subject to secret court procedures.

Earlier this month, Amnesty International described the proposed legal changes as “dangerous,” saying they would allow the UK government to keep secret any evidence of human rights violations.

SSM/HE

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