Fwd: Documents the gov't does not want you to see

[Guest guest]

http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/716

 

Calling All Bloggers: These Documents need publishing

 

By ringverse at Thu, 29/12/2005 - 16:45

 

Background:

The UK government has been quick to deny that we practice, or tolerate

the practice of Torture. So it is perhaps not suprising that they are

determined that you should not see the following documents:

http://users.pandora.be/quarsan/craig/telegrams.pdf

http://users.pandora.be/quarsan/craig/npaper.jpg

 

Craig Murray was the UK ambassador to Uzbekistan, untill his

complaints and protest at the use of intelligence gained by torture

got too much for Jack Straw and the Foreign Office, who set about

attempting to unsuccessfully smear him, and to successfully remove him

from office.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3750370.stm

http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2005/04/timeline_of_cra.html

 

The Foreign Office has had the draft of Craig's book for clearance for

over 3 months now, and they are doing everything they can to try and

prevent him from publishing his side of the story. Their latest

attempt to cover their own backs was to inform him, the night before

Christmas Eve, that these two documents cannot be published, and that

he was to return or destroy all copies immediately.

 

What are these documents? The first document is a series of Telegrams

that Craig sent to the Foreign Office, outlining his growing concern

and disgust at our use of intelligence passed to the UK by the Uzbek

security services.

 

The second document is a copy of legal advice the Foreign Office

sought, to see if they were operating within the Law in accepting

torture intelligence, and according to Michael Wood the FCO legal

adviser; it is fine, as long as it is not used as evidence.

 

Faced with this heavy handed censorship by the FCO, in an attempt to

cover up our use of and complicity in torture, Craig has decided to

fight back, and has asked us all to publish this information, so it

cannot be suppressed. I am in discussion with the FCO over what I am

and am not allowed to publish in my book. The FCO is seeking to gut

the book of all evidence of complicity with the Uzbek regime.

 

With Bliar cornered on extraordinary rendition, they are particularly

anxious to suppress all evidence of our complicity in obtaining

intelligence from Uzbek torture.

 

In particular, they have demanded I do not publish the attached

documents, and that I hand over all copies of them.

 

The obvious answer to this is to post these documents as widely on the

web as possible. This is also potentially very valuable in

establishing that I am not attempting to make money from these

documents - you don't have to buy my book to see them, they are freely

available. If you buy the book, you are only paying for the added

value of my thoughts.

 

This will only work if we can get the [documents] very widely posted,

including on sites in the US and elsewhere outside the UK … there is a

chance that those who … post this stuff will get threatened under the

Official Secrets Act.

 

In March 2003 I was summoned back to London from Tashkent specifically

for a meeting at which I was told to stop protesting. I was told

specifically that it was perfectly legal for us to obtain and to use

intelligence from the Uzbek torture chambers.

 

After this meeting Sir Michael Wood, the Foreign and Commonwealth

Office's legal adviser, wrote to confirm this position. This minute

from Michael Wood is perhaps the most important document that has

become public about extraordinary rendition. It is irrefutable

evidence of the government's use of torture material, and that I was

attempting to stop it. It is no wonder that the government is trying

to suppress this.

 

Craig

 

Compare and Contrast the government's public position on Torture, with

the information they were recieving at the time from their own

Ambassador, and the legal advice they were seeking. We have archived a

selection of government spin and lies on the use of torture in these 4

pages: http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/708

http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/709

http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/710

http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/711

 

and you can listen to Jack Straw and Tony Blair deny what you read in

these hitherto 'secret' documents here.

http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/down/strawhust.mp3

http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/down/blairrend.mp3

 

What you can do: We have published the documents in full here, and ask

that anyone who can will do the same.

http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/715

http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/714

 

If you could publish, host and link to these documents on your own

webspace, then it will be harder for anybody to be prosecuted here in

the UK, and ensure that they get maximum coverage.

 

Craig Murray stood up for what many of us believe, and it cost him his

Job, his health, and his professional reputation. The least we can do

his stand by him as he defies the UK government's attempts at

censorship, and possible prosecution.

 

Craig's own post on the subject can be found here:

http://www.craigmurray.co.uk/archives/2005/12/damning_documen.html

 

Thanks for your help.