BRITISH DETAINEES IN GUANTANAMO BAY

Early day motion 1539, tabled 7 July 2003 by Geraint Davies (Labour). Signed by 264 members.

That this House notes with concern that British subjects currently detained in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will not face a fair trial but instead a military tribunal; that they will face the choice of either pleading guilty and 20 years in prison or pleading not guilty and facing a prospect of an unfair trial and the death penalty and that they will not be free to pick their own defence lawyer but instead have a lawyer from the US military who they may not trust; further notes that their mental condition after 18 months of incarceration in two metre cube cages with only half an hour's exercise twice a week may mean that they are unable adequately to brief a lawyer or defend themselves concerning events more than two years ago, that they will not be given the opportunity to cross-examine witnesses who may present unreliable but critical evidence based on plea bargaining, that the verdict will be decided behind closed doors by a military judge and jury feared to be pre-disposed towards a guilty verdict and the death penalty and that such an outcome would risk the encouragement of more terrorist activity and undermine the security of all those who depend on the respect of human and legal rights, including American service personnel abroad; and calls upon the Government to arrange for the repatriation of British detainees to face a fair trial in Britain.

Signatures by party: Labour 179, Liberal Democrat 46, Conservative 18, Labour/Co-operative 14, Scottish National Party 3, Plaid Cymru 2, Independent 1, UUP 1.