Detainee Mistreatment: Judge-led Inquiry Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Detainee Mistreatment: Judge-led Inquiry

Jim Shannon Excerpts
Monday 15th July 2019

(5 years, 5 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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David Lidington Portrait Mr Lidington
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It will not be in my power to decide whether the House wishes to return to these issues, but I can promise the hon. Gentleman that this will be a definitive statement.

Jim Shannon Portrait Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
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I commend the Government on their work on human rights, but does the Minister share my concern that failure to protect human rights by complicity by mistreating detainees diminishes the UK’s capacity to be a champion for human rights abroad?

David Lidington Portrait Mr Lidington
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It is important that we demonstrate through our actions, not just our words, our commitment to human rights. Moreover, when one has the privilege of speaking to officers in the intelligence agencies about these matters, they make it clear that they want to uphold human rights. The intelligence agencies have to operate within the statutory remit that Parliament has given them. Anything that they do that breaches their lawful purpose and objective is something that they should not do.