Terror Suspects Held 'Illegally' in Afghanistan Prison Named by Charity

Terror Suspects Held 'Illegally' in Afghanistan Prison Named by Charity
MoD sued for refusing to identify pair handed to Americans • Men named as Amanatullah Ali and Yunus Rahmatullah
by Richard Norton-Taylor

A legal charity has named two men who ended up in the infamous "dark prison" at Bagram in Afghanistan after being handed to US forces by members of the SAS. The men were held in Afghanistan after being seized by the British in Iraq.

The charity Reprieve said it was suing the Ministry of Defence for refusing officially to identify the men, who are from Pakistan. The MoD argues that if it released their names, even to their families, it would be in breach of the Data Protection Act.

The director of Reprieve, Clive Stafford Smith, accused the ministry of "rank hypocrisy" for refusing to give the prisoners their rights while at the same time claiming it was upholding the rule of law.

David Davis, the former Conservative shadow home secretary, who has also taken up the case, described the ministry's refusal to release the names as an "insult". "If they are bad people, tell us who they are. I think the reason we are not being told is because it is politically embarrassing. They deserve a trial. We deserve to know what the truth is."

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/04/15-7