Straw in the Stink 1095

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The Mail on Sunday is doing a very good job on the odious Jack Straw’s involvement in torture and persecution. I think that at last the truth has entered the established narrative. There is a little box in the report about my own evidence to Scotland Yard. I will type it out here as the Mail’s box format here is not internet searchable:

“Torture” Evidence Handed to the Yard

Further pressure was piled on Jack Straw last night over the “rendition” of Libyan dissident Abdel Hakim Belhadj after sensitive documents were handed to Scotland tard detectives.

Craig Murray, former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan, passed the documents to police as part of the inquiry into the behaviour of Ministers and intelligence officials over the detention of Mr Belhadj in Bangkok in March 2004.

The opponent of Colonel Gadaffi was flown to Tripoli, where he claims he was tortured.

Mr Straw, who was Foreign Secretary at the time, has denied ever condoning the use of torture to extract information.

But the documents appear to cast doubt on that position.

One memo, headed “Uzbekistan: Intelligence Possibly Obtained Under Torture” contains minutes of a meeting Mr Murray held with senior Foreign and Commonwealth officials on March 8, 2003 to discuss his concern that the UK could be in breach of international law by possessing intelligence obtained by torture.

The minute, dated March 10 2003, quoted Linda Duffield, then the FCO’s Director of Wider Europe, apparently justifying the use of such material as part of the fight against terrorism.

A second memo, dated March 14 2003, and written by Simon McDonald – the Straw’s principal Private Secretary – to Ms Duffield says Straw has read the minutes and “agrees that you handled this very well”.

Mr Murray is understood to have told police that during Mr Straw’s time at the FCO diplomats were told to only refer to the policy on torture verbally.

Mr Murray said last night “My evidence stated that Jack Straw introduced a policy of allowing evidence obtained by torture to be used. I also told them that written evidence had been destrpyed, and we were told to not commit details into writing.”

There is a slight misquote in the above. It should say Jack Straw introduced a policy of allowing intelligence obtained by torture, not evidence. In fact it was specifically stated such intelligence would not be produced as evidence in court (people were imprisoned without charge or rendered instead). The instruction not to put things in writing was given to me personally, I don’t know if others were told the same. As I was the only one protesting, perhaps not.

These links are to the documents in question.

duffieldminute

mcDonald

Wood

The first two were obtained by Freedom of Information Act request. Details of the CIA’s colllusion with the Karimiv regime’s torturers have been redacted by the FCO. Last week Jack Straw came out and argued strongly for the effective abolition of the Freedom of Information Act. Now there is a coincidence for you.

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1,095 thoughts on “Straw in the Stink”

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  • Mary

    Good reporting there Mark on the creeping privatisation of our state.
    .
    I read of this large Irish protest against a company called CRH who produce cement urging them to divest from their business in Israel. G4S and Veolia are also referred to in the statement. In comparison to the Irish, the British are supine.
    .
    http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/international/1614-palestinian-women-confront-crh-board-submit-10000-petition-urging-divestment-from-israel
    .
    From the CRH website – CRH announces material investments in North America and the Middle East….. CRH has acquired a 25% stake in the Mashav group in Israel. The investment in Mashav is our first move into the growing Middle East building materials market and represents another step in the Europe Materials Division’s strategy to build strong market positions in primary building materials in selected European and related markets to the east.
    .
    Mashav is the holding company for Nesher Cement, the sole producer of cement in Israel. From two state-of-the-art dry process production lines at its main facility in Ramla and a single semi-dry process plant at Har Tuv, Nesher supplies cement throughout Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. Both facilities have access to substantial raw material reserves. Nesher also operates a clinker grinding plant at Haifa where the company has permits to modernise its recently closed wet process clinker plant. In 2000, Nesher sold 5.7 million tonnes of cement.
    .
    Mashav, which also has a 50% interest in a logistics and transportation company, reported consolidated sales of euro 428.3 million and trading profits before depreciation of euro 123.6 million in 2000. Pretax profits amounted to euro 65.0 million after a depreciation charge of euro 48.0 million and interest expense of euro 10.6 million.
    .
    PS I bet that Gaza does not see any of the output from Mashav/Nesher.
    .
    {http://www.crh.com/our-group}

  • Mark Golding - Children of Iraq Association

    I read with interest the CRH AGM summary Mary. I am taking a closer look (board, history) at the company G4S who I believe have ex paratrooper training personnel in Syria seconded from Iraq who had previously worked for the ArmorGroup. I have a security contact that may help me establish the precise role of British involvement in Syria’s sectarian war.
    .
    I hope I can post an audio statement here if ‘Clark’ thinks it is possible.

  • Mark Golding - Children of Iraq Association

    Empty Stomach Warriors: A History Lesson
    .
    “Conditions for Palestinians in the jails of “the only democracy in the Middle East” have never been determined by considerations of human rights. They have largely been the outcome of a constant struggle pitting the defenseless inmates, determined to continue their struggle for freedom and dignity behind bars, against an occupation authority for which brutal incarceration is an integral part of the broader system of repression.”
    .
    http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/empty-stomach-warriors-history-lesson

  • Mary

    Octavius Black and wife Joanne Cash, a barrista, sorry a barrister, as you say Komodo.
    http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2010/2/10/1265828200258/Joanne-Cash-and-Octavius–001.jpg
    .
    Speaking of barristers, Ms Levitt QC who rather nervously announced the charges against the Brooks Seven, comes from this Chambers. She is now the adviser to the DPP Keir Starmer. On the 25 Bedford Row list is a Natalie Sherborn, another flame haired beauty and a dead ringer for Rebekah. How strange is that?
    .
    {http://www.25bedfordrow.com/natalie-sherborn/practice-overview.asp}

  • Anapa

    Mary, good link on congressman Pitts. Never laughed from my heart for the last couple of years. Well, typical dumb americans who have no idea about geography of the world, or people on our planet, just scumbag political interest chasers. Back to school comgressman!

  • Komodo

    Here’s Octavius waving his arms a lot. Otherwise, he’s a very effective speaker. But however sweet it all tastes, the core of this talk is about psychological manipulation, and the neutralisation of individualism in the workplace…it becomes clearer in the last couple of minutes.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHY-Yv7lkx8
    .
    People who giveadamn about their kids may pick up their vouchers from Boots and learn how to turn them into little management suits. They’re not the problem though…if the vouchers can’t be redeemed for smack, the problem parents aren’t going near this one.

  • Komodo

    So “passionate Zionist” (M.Gove) Michael Gove’s project to provide schools with the KJV Bible is back on the road –
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/may/15/michael-gove-king-james-bible
    .
    I agree with Gove (!) that the KJV is magnificent literature (if largely myth) and that its disuse has accelerated the current decline of the English language. And I agree with Cameron (!) that this kind of initiative should not be funded by the taxpayer.
    .
    But in that case, it should equally not be linked to the Government and the Bibles should not contain the imprimatur of the Secretary of State for Education. Whose, then? The donors’? That well-known Protestant, Sir Stanley Fink?
    .
    Hmmmm.

  • Mary

    A deux in a First Class carriage no doubt.
    .
    This apparently in latest Private Eye
    .

    Brooks was keen to big up the occasions on which she had done the state some service. this included the Sun’s campaign against domestic violence — “one of those which i had the most involvement “…. why then did the campaign cease in 2005?
    The Domestic Violence Crime and Victims bill became law in 2004. The following year did see a significant event; the arrest of one Rebekah Wade, who spent the night in the cells that November after her then husband Ross Kemp phoned police to say that she was attacking him. 🙂
    .
    The cover has a headline ‘Salem Witch Trial’.
    http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/lauren-collins/2012/05/rebekah-brooks-fight.html
    .
    Some Medialens contributors think that the Murdochs have ‘sacrificed’ her.
    {http://members5.boardhost.com/medialens/thread/1337152498.html}

  • wendy

    i keep saying it, the uk follows in every respect in enacting as far as is possible the policies of the usa administration.
    .
    Its the synchronising of nations under the usa global and military power ..
    .
    uk is not alone in this process ..

  • Mary

    Straw is stuffing his pockets as fast as he can go. £Thousands for speaking engagements, writing for News International and £60,000 pa alone in consultancy fees fromn ED and F Man Holdings Ltd, commodity traders.

    .
    There is also this book advance – 22 March 2012, received £30,750 as signature advance, ie 25% of the total eventually due, for the manuscript of a book, from Macmillans Publishers, via Capel & Land Ltd, Literary Agents (and net of their commission). Address of Macmillans: 20 New Wharf Road London N1 9RR.
    .
    http://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=10574
    .
    ED and F Man Holdings Ltd commodity traders {http://companycheck.co.uk/search?name=e+d+and+f+man&posted=true&Search=Search}
    You will see a list of 18 companies. Choose Holdings Ltd.
    Assets £1.65billion etc
    Directors
    Mr Ross George Reason
    Mr Niels Vesterdal
    Mr Laurie Peter Adrian Foulds
    Mr Daniel Howard Rosenblum
    Mr Francois Jan Lavooij
    Ms Mary Wilhelmina Harvey
    Mr Rafael Fernando Muguiro Sartorius
    .
    Nice work for a war criminal. On that subject he said Murdoch was not involved.
    Guardian Live Blog Lisa O’Carroll
    10.54am: Straw denies that the discussions to go to war in Iraq in 2003 was influenced by Rupert Murdoch or his newspapers. “It would have been disgusting were it true,” he says.

    Straw was foreign secretary at the time of the invasion. He is asked about the three telephone calls between Murdoch and Blair in the runup to war.

    Straw says he was vaguely aware of them at the time, but emphasises the speed of events in those weeks.

    “Frankly who Mr Blair was talking to on the telephone was neither here nor there, unless it was about getting support for the [EU] second resolution.”

    He adds that it was certainly important to have newspapers onside, but that it was never part of his discussions around the war.
    .
    !!

  • Rose

    Straw latest – And all this without having to go their ghastly parties. He’s in a league of his own. The PE cover gave me a genuine belly laugh today.

    Kom -re the Black thing – the parents who care will go along dutifully to collect their vouchers not the problem – I think they are the problem – not awake and paying attention. How to address?

    Another thought -the non-conformists in all this blox our best hope perhaps?

  • Mary

    Jack Straw bags
    consultancy job
    .
    A company involved in
    products including
    biofuels, sugar and
    coffee has appointed
    former Labour Cabinet
    minister Jack
    Straw MP as a consultant.
    Straw, the MP for
    Blackburn who held various top ministerial
    roles during the last Labour government
    including home secretary and
    foreign secretary, began working for
    London-headquartered ED & F Man
    Holdings last month.

    .
    ED & F Man has
    more than 4,000 employees in about 50
    countries, according to its website. It
    also has interests in shipping, tropical
    oils and rubber.
    .
    Straw has a two-year lobbying ban
    from the Advisory Committee on Business
    Appointments (ACoBA).
    .
    http://www.publicaffairsnews.com/fileadmin/templates/images/PAN%20May.pdf
    May 2011

  • Komodo

    Mary – I mentioned the ED&F Man connection earlier – on St. George’s Day.
    Elsewhere I note Straw’s sidie (@ £50K annually) consulting for a division of Man Group. What I had not picked up was that until 2007 the CEO of Man was “Sir” Stanley Fink, Jewish Leadership Council vice-chair and treasurer of the Conservative Party.
    That’s the Stanley Fink who has donated to Gove’s bibles-for-schools fund…incestuous little world, ain’t it?
    .
    Re the Palestinian-Israeli agreement, nothing actually changes. Existing prisoners’terms will not be extended (on the incremental four-month extension rule) unless further evidence is presented. And that evidence will continue to be secret.
    All it really does is write in a requirement that, ideally speaking, someone should say a prisoner is a threat to national security every four months, in order to keep him/her off the street. But as the entire process is secret, and Amnesty barely gets a sniff of Israel, I doubt that even this constraint will be a problem.

  • Komodo

    Re. Straw: see my April 23rd post, Mary. Ex CEO of ED&F Man is Stanley Fink, philanthropic purveyor of Christian literature to the hon., sorry, right hon. Michael Gove. And the Tories’ treasurer.
    Israel…nothing actually changes. (Censored) can continue to keep prisoners locked up indefinitely without charge as long as “evidence” against them is submitted (in secret) every four months.

  • nevermind

    Ever wondered who is responsible for the ‘bumpkin’ tag levied at Norfolk in general. I think this has finally cracked it.

    South Norfolks Cllr.s, who last week failed to alot a neighbourhood grant to the most supported, best costed and best value for money summer project, maybe because it involved two villages organising a summer event together, just as their new ‘all in it together ‘policies demand, have this week proposed themselves a 3% remuneration rise.

    That at a time when most of the public service in Norfolk had a pay freeze for the last two years, when the lower echelons of councils had to swallow the MSR restructuring.

    If anybody wants a measure of how many miles out of touch the Tory’s really are at rock bottom level, this is it.

    http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/politics/south_norfolk_councillors_set_for_3pc_allowances_increase_1_1378305

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