Safety fears for Algerians deported from U.K.

[Al-khiyal]

Article relates to issue previously posted about here

Human rights group Amnesty International says it is deeply concerned for the safety of two terror suspects who were deported from the UK.

The organisation claims the Algerian men - known only as Q and K - were sent back to their homeland "despite the risk that they would be tortured".

The two men were flown from the UK on 20 January, having dropped their appeals against deportation orders.

Amnesty has claimed the men are being held by Algeria's military police.

Q and K were first arrested in Britain under the anti-terrorism act of 2001, but in December 2004 the Law Lords ruled that detention without charge under this act was unlawful and the two men were released.

Amnesty says the case against the men was never disclosed to them.

The organisation believes both were arrested by Algeria's military police, the DRS, on Wednesday and have been in custody every since.

It says the DRS has a well documented record of torture and that Britain knowingly deported the men despite this risk.

Amnesty International UK director, Kate Allen said: "We are deeply concerned that these men are at risk of torture.

"The DRS is known to particularly target people suspected of having information about terrorism.

"As these men have been labelled 'suspected international terrorists' by the UK authorities, they were always at risk of torture and should never have been returned to Algeria."

Earlier, the Home Office said it was not the first time that suspected terrorists had been deported to Algeria - two men were sent back in June last year.

The men were among a group of 27 foreigners held because of fears that they are a threat to national security.

Some of the men, who cannot be named due to a court order, have been held without trial for more than four years.

The men were all suspected terrorists and some were believed to have connections to radical Algerian terror cells.

Their lawyers said the suspects could no longer bear indefinite detention and felt their only option was to agree to go back home.

Human rights campaigners claims that they will be tortured have been denied by Algeria and the British government says it has assurances that the men will not be mistreated.

The government said it intended to deport the other men who have also withdrawn their appeals against deportation as soon as possible, a spokeswoman added.

Safety fears for terror suspects

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Two Algerian men, known only as "Q" and "K" for legal reasons, are being held incommunicado in Algeria, days after they were deported from the UK. They are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment in custody.

The UK authorities deported "Q" on 20 January and "K" four days later, on the grounds that they presented a "threat to the national security" of the UK. "K" was arrested on arrival at the airport in the capital, Algiers, by agents from the military intelligence agency known as the Department for Information and Security (the Département du renseignement et de la sécurité, DRS). Reports indicate that when "Q" first arrived in Algeria on 20 January he was held by the airport police and was released after a few hours' questioning. However, on 24 January he was also arrested by the DRS. Both men appear to have been taken to a military barracks in central Algiers, part of which is used as a secret detention centre. They have not been allowed access to their lawyers or relatives. Amnesty International fears that "Q" and "K" are at risk of torture and other ill-treatment in the custody of the DRS.

The DRS specialises in interrogating people thought to possess information about terrorist activities. Detainees held by the DRS are routinely held in secret places of detention, allowed no contact with the outside world, and there are persistent reports of torture and other ill-treatment.

"Q" and "K" were among a group of men the UK authorities labelled as "suspected international terrorists". The men had been held either in prison or under effective house arrest for several years on the basis of secret intelligence which was never disclosed to them or their lawyers, and which they have therefore been unable to challenge.

While in custody awaiting deportation, both "Q" and "K" had their applications to be released on bail rejected. Both men had been held in Long Lartin prison in central England since August 2005, awaiting deportation. Both "Q" and "K" had attempted to seek asylum in the UK, but their claims were rejected. Up until August 2005, the UK authorities recognized that neither man could be deported to Algeria because there were substantial grounds for believing that there was a real risk that they would be subjected to torture or ill-treatment if they were removed to Algeria.

"Q" and "K" faced a stark choice: either continue to challenge their deportation to Algeria and face continued detention in high-security prisons far away from their families, friends and communities for years on end, or face an uncertain future fraught with risk by returning to that country. To pursue their appeal against deportation would have meant a legal battle involving the use against them of secret intelligence never disclosed to them or their lawyers and a standard of proof heavily weighted in favour of the government. "Q" and "K" lost all faith in the possibility that they would receive any meaningful justice in the UK. Last year, they withdrew their appeals against the deportation orders because they believed that, in the circumstances, they would never get justice in the UK. They preferred to return to Algeria, despite the risks they would face.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Anyone suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, or who is believed to possess information about terrorist activities in Algeria or abroad, faces a real risk of secret detention and torture in Algeria. Amnesty International has received dozens of reports of detainees treated in this way, among them people who had returned to Algeria from overseas, either voluntarily or at the hands of foreign governments.

Under Article 51 of the Algerian Criminal Procedures Code, detainees suspected of "terrorist or subversive acts" may be held without charge for a maximum of 12 days. The arresting authorities must immediately give them the opportunity to communicate with their families and to receive visits from them. In addition, any detention beyond four days has to be authorized in writing by the public prosecutor.

Amnesty International: Algeria: Incommunicado detention/fear of torture or ill-treatment

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Amnesty International has documented how "beatings, electric shocks and the forced ingestion of dirty water, urine or chemicals are just some of the methods used by Algeria's security forces with systematic impunity".

The two Algerians being held are shortly to be joined by others who have been driven out of this country by ongoing pressure put on them by the British government. They have never been charged or interviewed by the police and their lawyers have not been able to see evidence against them. All have been keen to come before a properly constituted court of law in order to answer any charge that the government may want to bring against them.

The suggestion made by Alex Carlisle, the government's independent monitor of terrorism, that the men returned voluntarily is to play along with the government's facade of justice. The voluntary nature of the return to Algeria needs to be set against the psychological torture these individuals were being forced to endure in this country. Amnesty International has already issued an alert. We would like to emphasise to the British and Algerian governments that the eyes of the world are now on the fate of these men.

Bruce Kent
Desiree Howells
Adrienne Burrows
Peace & Justice in East London

Eyes on Algeria over detainees

[Al-khiyal]

PUBLIC AI Index: MDE 28/005/2007
2 February 2007

Further Information on UA 19/07 (MDE 28/004/2007, 26 January 2007)
Incommunicado detention/fear of torture or ill-treatment

ALGERIA Two Algerian men, known as "Q" and "K"

New name: Algerian man known as "H"

Amnesty International has received reports indicating that "Q" and "K", who were deported from the UK to Algeria on 20 and 24 January 2007 respectively, were each allowed to make one phone call to a person of their choosing when they were first taken into detention.

However, according to the information available to Amnesty International, the two men remain in custody and have reportedly not had contact with the outside world since then. In particular, it appears that the Department for Information and Security (Département du renseignement et de la sécurité, DRS), in whose custody they have been held, has not allowed them to receive visits from their families, in apparent violation of Article 51 of the Algerian Criminal Procedure Code. Furthermore, the exact location of the detention centre where the two men are being held remains undisclosed, though Amnesty International understands that they are likely still to be detained in military barracks belonging to the DRS in central Algiers. For these reasons, as well as the fact Algeria’s civilian authorities do not exercise effective control over the activities of the DRS and routinely overlook frequent abuses by its officers, Amnesty International remains concerned that both men are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.

"Q" and "K" are being held on suspicion of involvement in terrorist acts and, according to Algerian law, may therefore be held without charge and without access to legal counsel for a maximum of 12 days; that is, until 5 February.

A third Algerian man, known only as "H" for legal reasons, was deported from the UK to Algeria on 26 January. According to reports received by Amnesty International, he was interviewed briefly by security force officers on arrival at Algiers airport and told that he would be required for more detailed questioning a few days later, but then allowed to return to his family home. A British diplomatic official was reportedly at the airport at the time. On 30 January, "H" reported to the authorities as requested and was taken into detention by the DRS. His family has had no contact with him since, but understand that he may be detained in military barracks belonging to the DRS in central Algiers. Amnesty International is concerned that "H" is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.

A fourth Algerian man, known only as "P" for legal reasons, was deported from the UK to Algeria on 27 January and arrested on arrival at Algiers airport. He too was taken into detention by the DRS on suspicion of possessing information about terrorist acts. He was allowed to make a phone call to a member of his family when first taken into detention. "P" was released on 30 January.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

"H" is in his mid-30s and, up until his deportation, lived in London, UK, with his wife, a Somali-born UK citizen. He has no children but jointly cared for his wife's nieces. He had been granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK in 1998. "P" is in his early 40s and has had both forearms amputated.

"H" and "P", like "Q" and "K", were among a group of men labelled as "suspected international terrorists" by the UK authorities under the now defunct Part IV of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 (ATCSA). All were previously interned in Belmarsh high security prison in London, UK. In March 2005 they were all "released" from detention under the ATCSA and put under a "control order" imposed on them pursuant to the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005. They were re-arrested in August 2005 and held under immigration powers pending deportation on national security grounds to Algeria. "H" and "P" were eventually released from immigration detention following a grant of bail under very strict conditions amounting to house arrest. Like "Q" and "K", they decided to withdraw their appeals against deportation in 2006.

Amnesty International: Algeria: Further information on Incommunicado detention/fear of torture or ill-treatment

[liberte]

I don't know if anyone in the UK saw the Dispatches programme 'At Home with the Terror Suspects', on C4 last night?

The first guy, an Algerian, that they showed is so clearly not guilty of anything, other than knowing a mentally imbalanced guy (that was found guilty of a crime - not terror related), it's a disgrace to the British justice system, which was once admired abroad.

If there is 'evidence', all of these people should have the right to trial by jury in an open court and either be found guilty and jailed or found innocent and left to live their lives. If our security services really believe they are a threat, surely even if they are set free, they can be put under survailence.

[liberte]

Despatches C4

Introduced as an emergency security measure in 2005, 18 control orders are currently enforced on individuals described as dangerous international terrorists. Dispatches has gained exclusive access to some of these detainees.

Having spent years in Belmarsh prison, the detainees now live under partial house arrest on Britain's streets. Officially known by letters of the alphabet; Detainee 'A', Detainee 'AR' etc, little is known of their day-to-day existence.

Dispatches has gained exclusive access to some of these detainees and, for the first time, exposes the paradoxes at the heart of this security policy which restricts the activities of people who have never been convicted of terrorist offences.

The investigation questions the effectiveness of the orders in protecting the public from terrorist attacks. The detainees live under stringent rules that prohibit the possession of mobile phones or accessing the internet. But the regulations allow them to mix freely with other worshippers at their mosques or talk to anyone they meet without prior arrangement. Despite a dossier of restrictions one detainee is allowed to between three tube stations, a bus garage and a shopping centre. "If I wanted to, it would be easy for me to bomb or commit an act of terrorism", he says.

Dispatches reveals the impact the control orders have on these individuals whose restrictions bypass the fundamental rights of due process enshrined in British law - that no-one should be deprived of liberty without a fair and adequate trial. In the film the detainees describe how they suffer from psychological problems and insomnia, with one detainee at the point of considering returning to his mother country, despite the torture that likely awaits him.

Dispatches also investigates the sourcing of evidence used to place the detainees under control orders. Reporter Phil Rees uncovers grave concerns about the methods used and the accuracy and validity of such evidence.

At Home With The Terror Suspects - Dispatches - News - Channel 4

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PUBLIC AI Index: MDE
28/007/2007

14 February 2007

Further Information on UA 19/07 (MDE 28/004/2007, 26 January 2007) and
follow-ups (MDE 28/005/2007, 2 February 2007; MDE 28/006/2007, 8 February 2007)

- Incommunicado detention /fear of torture or ill-treatment

ALGERIA Three Algerian men, known as "Q", "K" and "H"

"H", who was arrested on 30 January 2007, four days after his deportation from the UK, was reportedly brought before a judge, charged and transferred to Serkadji Prison in Algiers on 10 February. He had been detained for 11 days without charge or access to legal counsel in the custody of the Department for Information and Security (Département du renseignement et de la sécurité, DRS).

Amnesty International has received reports indicating that the charges include "participation in a terrorist network operating abroad". However, the organization does not know whether "H" was represented by a lawyer of his choosing during the hearing before the judge.

"Q", who was remanded into custody on 5 February after being held for 12 days by the DRS, is also reportedly being held in Serkadji Prison. He had been arrested on 25 January, five days after his deportation from the UK. According to the information available to Amnesty International, he has been charged with "participation in a terrorist network operating abroad" and falsifying documents.

"K", who was released without charge on 4 February after being held for 12 days by the DRS, remains at liberty.

Amnesty International believes that the men are no longer in immediate danger and will be able to receive visits by their family.

No further action is requested from the UA network at present. Many thanks to all who sent appeals.

Amnesty International:
Algeria: Further information on Incommunicado detention / fear of torture or ill-treatment