The Hindu : International : U.K. `shielding' human rights abuses by allies

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 16, 2004

International

International

U.K. `shielding' human rights abuses by allies

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, OCT. 15. The British Government has been accused of shielding the human rights record of its allies such as the United Stated, Pakistan, Israel, Russia and several Arab countries by delaying the publication of its annual report on the human rights situation around the world.

The report was to have been published last month, but according to media reports, key sections are still being `rewritten' to soften criticism of Britain's allies in the war on terror. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have expressed concern and urged the British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, to publish it without delay.

Concerned

"We are concerned at the delay in releasing the report ... We hope to see a firm date set for publication. That date should be soon,'' said an Amnesty International spokesman echoing the view of Human Rights Watch that it would be a `mistake' to ignore human rights abuses by certain countries "just because they were Britain's allies''.

The report was expected to criticise the alleged abuses by American soldiers in Iraq, especially the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, and the treatment of terror suspects detained in Guantanamo Bay.

"Human rights monitors will also be looking for any signs that the Foreign Office is curbing its criticism of other allies in the war on terror such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, Egypt and Libya,'' The Times said in a report.

It quoted an unnamed official as saying that the head of the Foreign Office Human Rights Policy Department, Jon Benjamin, was "fighting to have the report published without too many changes ... but it does not look like he is winning the fight''.

Practical problems

The Foreign Office, however, attributed the delay to purely `practical' problems and reiterated its commitment to human rights.

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