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UK-USA: Damning report from the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee on rendition

01 July 2007

UK agencies and Rendition (pdf) Committee press release (pdf) Government's response to the report (pdf) It is perhaps convenient that on the same day as the Statement on national security above the government should choose to release this report. Among the Committee's findings:

- in the case of Bisher al-Rawi and Jamil el-Banna where UK agencies provided evidence to the USA with the caveat "speicifcally prohibiting any action being taken - this was disregarded by the USA and Bisher al-Rawi and Jamil el-Banna triggered their arrest and "Rendition to Detention". Moreover, the Security Service failed to tell Ministers about their relationship with Bisher al-Rawi and that it: "took *** years, and a court case, to bring it to their attention"

- the SIS (MI6) and Security Service (MI5) were "slow" to appreciate the "change in US rendition policy": "the Agencies should have detected the emerging pattern of renditions sooner and used greater caution in working with the U.S. at an earlier stage."

- "in fighting international terrorism it is clear that the U.S. will take whatever action it deems is necessary, within U.S. law, to protect its national security. Although the U.S. may take note of UK protests and concerns, it does not appear materially to affect their strategy"

- the Committee had difficulties in a number of areas getting information: GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters, which runs - with NSA - a global communications surveillance system) passed intelligence to the US National Security Agency (NSA) which could have passed it to the CIA. The Committee simply had to accept that the GCHQ-NSA agreement that this required "explicit permission" actually worked. Similarly "General Aviation Reports" on flight plans "appears to be systematically flawed" so complete data on flights was not available.

- the Committee recommends that despite "caveats and assurances" any future requests which could lead to rendition should be referred to Ministers for approval.

CIA discounted British concerns, say MPs (Guardian, link)

See also: Tony Bunyan, Statewatch Director, speech to the European Parliament hearing in Brussels on 23 January 2006: On the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the transportation and illegal detention of prisoners - EU governments have colluded by turning a "blind eye", by failing to ask any questions or exercising any control and Statewatch's Observatories on: "Terrorist lists": monitoring proscription, designation and asset freezing and Rendition: the use of European countries by the CIA for the transport and illegal detewntion of prisoners