UK: Amnesty reveals new testimony from men persecuted by UK authorities

The men – Mahmoud Abu Rideh and three Algerians known as “A”, “G” and “H” - were interviewed by an Amnesty delegation including Secretary-General Irene Khan and Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen.

The men are among the 10 foreign nationals who on 8 December won an appeal before the Law Lords, who ruled unanimously that information obtained through torture cannot be admissible as "evidence" in UK courts.

The judgment means that these cases will be sent back to the court that made the original decisions, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC). It will have to reconsider the "evidence" on which it based its decisions, and ensure that none of it was obtained through torture.

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said:

“Is this really what we call justice in this country? These men have had their liberty taken from them for four years yet they haven’t even been charged and tried, let alone found guilty of anything. They have not even been questioned by the police since their arrest.”

The four men and their families talk about the conditions in which they have been held and its impact on their physical and mental health. Together with their wives, they describe the effects of their arrest and restrictions on their Children's rights and family lives.

Amnesty International is calling for the men to either be charged with a recognisably criminal offence and given a fair trial, or for deportation proceedings and restrictions of liberty to be brought to an end.

Copies of the report, containing excerpts from the men's testimonies, are available on request from the Amnesty International UK press office.