The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

Current affairsNews

Afghans “unlawfully held” by UK forces at Camp Bastion

Afghans “unlawfully held” by UK forces at Camp Bastion
29 May 2013
Eleanor MacKay
Avatar
Eleanor MacKay
29 May 2013

Defence secretary Phillip Hammond has confirmed that the UK is holding between 80 and 90 Afghan detainees at Camp Bastion.

Documents obtained by the BBC claim many of these detainees held at the camp, which is Britain’s largest military camp in Afghanistan, may be being held illegally.

British forces in Afghanistan, operating as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), are allowed to detain suspects for 96 hours in “exceptional circumstances” such as gathering critical intelligence in order to protect lives in which they can hold them for longer periods. However, UK lawyers acting on the behalf of some detainees claim their clients have been held for far longer than 96 hours. Indeed, it has been claimed that some detainees have been held for periods of up to 14 months without being charged.

Many of the detainees held at Camp Bastion have been accused of killing British soldiers. The families of two of the men who appear to have been held the longest said they were arrested in spring last year and interrogated in the weeks that followed.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) have previously stated that the ISAF does not have the power to detain inmates in Afghanistan. However, a ban imposed by defence secretary Phillip Hammond stating that the British military cannot hand inmates back to the Afghan authorities over fears of ill treatment has altered Britain’s stance on detainees.

Phil Shiner, acting as lawyer for eight of the men currently at Camp Bastion, stated: “This is a secret facility that has been used to unlawfully detain or intern up to 85 Afghans that they have kept secret, that Parliament doesn’t know about, that courts previously when they have interrogated issues like detention and internment in Afghanistan have never been told about – completely off the radar.” 

Shiner added: “It is reminiscent of the public’s awakening that there was a Guantanamo Bay. And people will be wondering if these detainees are being treated humanely and in accordance with international law.”

In a statement, the MoD confirmed the existence of a temporary holding facility but would not comment on the numbers of detainees held there or on individual cases. 

Eleanor Mackay

Related Items

More in Current Affairs

Women of Ireland have rolled over for long enough: The 8th and the long walk to abortion rights

Emma Kiely
Read More

Changes to expect during menopause

The editorial unit
Read More

Why Equity Linked Savings Schemes is a preferred tax saving?

The editorial unit
Read More

How the world’s top designers would rebrand political parties

The editorial unit
Read More

Royal baby furore: Proof that the British monarchy is still popular?

Eoin O’Sullivan-Harris
Read More

World Mental Health Day 2018: Raising awareness and combating stigma

The editorial unit
Read More

Seven political personalities you should know about

The editorial unit
Read More

Donald Trump: An enemy of the arts?

The editorial unit
Read More

Trump’s fortune: Where did the money come from?

The editorial unit
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Julius Caesar at Shakespeare’s Globe
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Banter Jar at Lion & Unicorn Theatre: “An authentic and timely one-woman show”
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Buddhist on Death Row by David Sheff
    ★★★★★
    Literature
  • Three-Michelin-star restaurants L’Effervescence and SingleThread announce first post-Covid collaboration in Tokyo
    Food & Drinks
  • The Innocents
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Cornelia Parker at Tate Britain
    ★★★★★
    Art
  • Crimes of the Future: Three new clips from David Cronenberg’s dystopian body horror film
    Cannes
  • Albert Adrià reopens Enigma on 7th June as a “fun-dining” restaurant and cocktail bar
    Food & Drinks
  • Grease at Dominion Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Florence and the Machine – Dance Fever
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Cornelia Parker at Tate Britain
    ★★★★★
    Art
  • Grease at Dominion Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Florence and the Machine – Dance Fever
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Warpaint – Radiate Like This
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Operation Mincemeat at Riverside Studios
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Prison officer attacked and held hostage by inmates
Max Clifford pleads not guilty to indecent assault charges