Miliband hints at UK concerns over Guantanamo trial
He's choosing his words very carefully, but David Miliband's comments leave no doubt that there is a chasm opening up between Britain and the US concerning the trial of six men at Guantanamo Bay. He politely refers to "some concerns" about what is taking place:
The Foreign Secretary echoed the concerns of human rights groups who are worried that the six, who could face the death penalty, will not get a fair trial from the military tribunal and claim they were tortured at Guantanamo Bay.
One, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, was subjected to "waterboarding" – which in the UK is defined as torture. Mr Miliband told BBC Radio 2: "There's absolutely no question about the UK Government's commitments in respect of torture, which is illegal, and our definition of what torture is."
In a coded criticism of the US, he said: "I think it's very, very important that we always assert that our system of values is different from those who attacked the US and killed British citizens on September 11, and that's something we'd always want to stand up for."
This is important because the military commission does not allow the use of evidence gained by torture, although the US does not regard waterboarding as torture. Miliband is making very clear that the UK - and the rest of the planet - does not share that view. He then hints that he hoped the Supreme court will rule against Bush:
Asked whether the trial of Mohammed would respect his legal rights, Mr Miliband said: "We have some concerns about that, and there are still some cases in front of the American Supreme Court, because the great thing about America, and countries like ours as well, is that the independent legal system provides a check and a balance on the... legal system itself."
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