Note states that UK Parliament will issue a report on detainees in Afghanistan, Guantanamo and Iraq, discussing the participation of British intelligence and military officers in interrogations. The report will note that interviews with UK intelligence officers were generally conducted in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, with the exception of an incident in which an Iraqi prisoner was presented to the UK, by US officials, hooded and shackled during the interview.
The Note mentions that some of the detainees questioned by UK intelligence personnel complained about their treatment while in detention.
-UNCLASSIFIED 5
S/ES 200415455 ~I
TOPAR rl6ited States Department of State
Ambuaador-at-Large for . War Crimes Juuea
. -*TIVEBUT UNCLASSIFIED
. Wmhin8ton. D.C. 20520
6/25
DIST:
'" ~,,"l.
NOTE TO THE SECRET AR~'VlJ\V' JUN 2 5 2"204
S
D
p
FROM: S/WCI -Pierre-Richard Prosper'iiX RELEASED IN FULL
SIP
EUR
I L SUBJECT: UK Report on Treatment of Detainees in Afghanistan,
PA/RB
Guantanamo, and Iraq
S/WCI
S/ES
The Intelligence and Security Committee of the UK Parliament will
issue a report on June 29 on detainees, discussing the participation of British
intel and military officers in interrogations in Afghanistan, Guantanamo, and
Iraq. It will note that interviews with UK. intelligence officers were
generally conducted in accordance with the principles of the Geneva
conventions, with the exception ofan incident in which an Iraqi prisoner was
presented to the UK, by US officials, hooded and shackled during the
interview. It will also note that they received some verbal complaints by
detainees that they had been abused.
The infonnation was provided to the committee by PM Blair by way of a letter, in response to their inquiry.
The report will also say that where UK officials became aware of detainees being held in "austere" conditions or treated inappropriately, those concerns were communicated locally to USG officials, in intel channels or through diplomatic channels.
I have agreed with the UK Embassy that we will work with them on a press line.
Attachment: Relevant portion of parliamentary report
cc: Beth Jones
Will Taft
Adam Ereh
UNITED STATES DEPARTMEi'iT OF STATE
REVIEW AUTHORITY: FRA~K E SCHMELZER T ThTr'T coco 1::'1
I DA I EICASE 10: 24 SE1' 2llrr:r!U0303827 ---ubH-...~Aa0-IF-ED-----
j
D05-000241
"
"
UNCLASSIFIED
S 1-/,f "
.' .1
RELEASED IN FULL
The UK Intelligence and Security Committee's report (which will be laid before Parliament -ie made public -on 29 June). Para 78 will read as follows:
'We also wrote to the Prime Minister to ask If any of the Agencies
staff or militaty intettigence personnel had been involved in or
witnessed any abuse of detainees in Afghanistan. Iraq or Guantanamo
Bay. He replied Just as we were completing this report. In his
letter. the Prime Minister gave us as full an answer as he could
because it had not yet been pass'lble to speak to all the officers
involved. He undertook to inform us if any further information of
relevance emerged. stating that:
"On this basis:
a) Interviews of deta'mees conducted or observed by UK intelligence
personnel have. with the following exception. been conducted in a
manner conSistent with the principles laid down In the Geneva
Convention. In June 2003. two xxx interviewed an Iraqi detainee xxx.
The detainee was brought in hooded and shaCkled by the US military and remained so during the one-hour interview. "The x.x..x understood these measures to be for security purposes. and did not report it at the time since they were not aware that hooding was unacceptable. The detainee showed no signs of distress and made no complaint 0; being hooded ar otherwise during the interview.
b) Some of the detainees questioned by UK intelligence personnel have complained -either during their detention or subsequently -about their treatment while in detention.
c) UK intelligence personnel interviewing or witnessing the interview
of detainees are instructed to report if they beliave detainees are being treated in an inhumane or degrading way. None of those involved witnessed any evidence ofdetainee abuse ofthe type that US authorities have acknowledged has occurred in Iraq. But on a few occasions SIS and Security Service Staff did become aware, either through their own observations or comments from detainees, that some detainees were being held in austere conditions or treated inappropriately. The concerns of these stC'.ff were passed on to the US authorities, either loca"y or via intelligence or diplomatic channels."
IOOQ!j XSSVEIJ;3 HSI.LnUJ OB9! 99S tOt TVd CO:!T I~ ~oot Qo/st
UNITEO STATES OEPART\IENT OF STATE
REVIEW AUTHORITY: FRA:\K E SCH'IELZER
OATE/CASE 10: 24 SE P 2004 200303827
UNCLASSIFIED .
005-000242