Law Lords ruling obliges government to denounce Guantanamo

3.06.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 13th Jun 2007

Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP, Liberal Democrats European justice spokeswoman, has welcomed the Law Lords ruling in the case of Baha Moussa, the Iraqi citizen who died in British military custody in Basra.

Baroness Ludford commented:

"This tremendous decision shows that British law defends the human rights of individuals subject to detention by British authorities, regardless of their nationality"

"The Government is accountable for the actions of those who operate in the name of Britain, whether the crimes are perpetrated in Basra, Baghdad, or Battersea."

"This decision clearly differentiates the UK legal system from President Bush's continued use of illegal imprisonment and torture at Guantanamo Bay and CIA black sites. The Blair/Brown government can therefore no longer implicitly support these activities, and must publicly call for an end to their use."