In an interview with Sir David Frost on The Heaven and Earth Show on BBC One, Dr Williams said that keeping in custody people who had not been found guilty nor allowed access to proper legal channels set a dangerous precedent.

His words echoed those of Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, who recently compared the US President’s actions in Guantanamo Bay to policies pursued in Uganda by Idi Amin, the former dictator.

Dr Williams said: “Any message, given that any state can just override some of the basic habeas corpus-type provisions, is going to be very welcome to tyrants elsewhere.”

Dr Williams was speaking while on a week-long trip to Sudan with the World Food Programme to investigate how the Church could help at a local and national level in reconstructing the war-torn country.

He also said that he had made great efforts to reach out to moderate Muslims in an effort to combat terrorism, and believed that terrorism was an “insult to God and Man”.

Explore Law

• Corporate Law

• Public Law

• Columnists

• Law Panel

• Student Law

• Law Reports

Times Recommends

• Future Stars of the Bar 2008
• Lawyer of the Week: Julie Morris
• Charging suspects - why it's a job for prosecutors