Just how far Britain allowed the ends to justify the means after the September 11 2001 atrocities has been starkly demonstrated by the Commons Intelligence and Security Committee reports. Chaired by Dominic Grieve, the former attorney-general, the ISC found the UK government’s treatment of detainees profoundly wanting. In the case of rendition — sending terror suspects overseas for interrogation in other jurisdictions — it found it “inexcusable”. A full, judge-led inquiry to establish legal responsibility has now been, rightly, urged.
Numbers alone often fail to render the ugliness of human misdeeds. But not in this case.
The ISC reports (covering 2001-2010, and the years since then) found 128 incidents where UK agencies knew of mistreatment of detainees from other intelligence services. Most egregiously, in 13 cases UK personnel witnessed mistreatment first hand.