Manchester Cops in Torture Accusations

Article published: Tuesday, July 7th 2009

Greater Manchester Police and MI5 have been accused of complicity in torture, and then of trying to bribe the victim to keep quiet about it.

Rangzieb Ahmed was arrested by the Pakistani secret service, the Inter Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI) and had his fingernails torn out during interrogations. GMP and MI5 submitted a list of questions for the ISI to ask him during the time he was in their custody. After he was later deported to the UK, Mr Ahmed submitted a complaint about his torture claims. Mr Ahmed claims a man, believed to be MI5, later visited him while in prison in Manchester and offered him a reduced sentence or a cash payment for dropping the complaint. He was subsequently convicted on terror charges in the UK, after his lawyers had been unable to argue that evidence based on torture should not be used in the prosecution.

The courts have also heard that two British intelligence officers visited him while in ISI custody. They would have been acting within the guidelines drawn up for the British intelligence services in the wake of 9/11, which allow officers to question suspects they know are being tortured, providing they are not seen to condone it. Ahmed is attempting to sue the British government over the incident.

More: News, Policing

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