British shocked by pictures of prisoners in Cuba

21 Jan, 2002 12:36 AM4 mins to read

3.15 pm - By BEN RUSSELL

The British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, has demanded an explanation of the circumstances in which photographs of al Qaeda prisoners being held by the United States at its Cuba naval base, were taken as fresh controversy erupted over their treatment.

Mr Straw insisted that suspected terrorists being held in Cuba must be treated humanely and within international law.

The Foreign Secretary was forced to respond to the pictures showing the shackled kneeling suspects wearing rubber goggles, ear protectors, face masks and heavy gloves which sparked a fresh outcry from pressure groups and MPs.

Amnesty International said the pictures were "shocking" while members of the all-party Parliamentary Human Rights Committee asked for a meeting with the US ambassador to discuss the case.

The pictures suggested the prisoners may be subjected to sensory deprivation, but Downing Street accused commentators of "rushing to judgment".

A team of British officials left the military base last night after assessing the condition of British detainees. They will travel to Washington before briefing Ministers on the situation.

Red Cross observers also left the base after a mission to assess the detainees' condition.

Mr Straw said: "The British Government's position is that prisoners - regardless of their technical status - should be treated humanely and in accordance with customary international law."

He added: "I await the British officials' report. As for the photographs of detainees published today, I have asked our officials in Guantanamo Bay to establish with the US the circumstances in which these photographs were taken."

In Washington however, the US Defence secretary Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday defended the conditions for prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and said they were being treated humanely even though he considered them to be "hard core terrorists".

"Obviously anyone would be concerned if people were suggesting that treatment were not proper," he said.

"The fact remains that treatment is proper. There is no doubt in my mind that it is humane and appropriate and consistent with the Geneva Convention for the most part."

Mr Rumsfeld, who went on national television to defend the conditions amid growing international criticism, added: "I think that the people who have been the most shrill on the subject, once they have more knowledge of the subject, will stop being so shrill."

He claimed people needed to be reminded that the prisoners were very dangerous. He said: "These are very tough, hard-core, well-trained terrorists. They are being allowed to practice their religion, which is not something that they encouraged on the part of others. They are clothed cleanly and they are dry and safe."

The goggles are put on the prisoners when they enter the prison – known as Camp X-Ray – to prevent them scrutinising the security arrangements, which could be helpful to them if they tried to escape, the Pentagon said.

The medical masks were put on to prevent the potential spread of TB.

Donald Anderson, Labour chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said the pictures were "disturbing".

"We need to be different and seen to be different, otherwise we lose the high ground, and we give gifts to the enemies of the coalition."

Former Foreign Office Minister Tony Lloyd added: "The treatment does seem to be way below the standards we would expect."

Stephen Jakobi, director of the pressure group Fair Trials Abroad, also criticised the treatment of the suspects. He said: "This could jeopardise the prospects for a trial. That is the last thing anybody wants."

Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesman, likened the pictures to images of American troops captured during the Vietnam War.

He said: "I don't believe that we will successfully fight a campaign against terror if we publicly treat people in the way in which these photographs suggest.

"We do not set the standards by which we treat prisoners by the standards which al Qaeda or the Taleban might have used. It is precisely because our standards are different and better and superior that we were engaged in the military action in Afghanistan."

A Downing Street spokesman said it was unlikely that British officials would report back to Ministers about conditions in the camp until later today.

He said: "We obviously await their assessment and I would suggest that people should await their assessment rather than rushing to judgment, as people have tended to do today."

He added: "It is in the interests of all of us, while respecting the human rights of these individuals, that we establish the facts about terrorism in the past and, just as importantly, that we do all we can to counter terrorism in the future.

"Therefore we understand the Americans' wish and right to question these people. That does not in any way mean that we do not respect the human rights of these individuals."

- INDEPENDENT

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