Sir, The recent US Supreme Court decision that the Guantanamo tribunals were illegal did not address the pressing medical concerns of the detainees (Foreign Editor’s Briefing, Sept 14). Recently the BMA proposed that an independent group of British doctors visit Guantanamo to assess their medical treatment. Several UK residents remain incarcerated there.
The Foreign Office has refused to act on this request. Further it has come to our attention that, in more than four years, neither the pro bono medical nor legal panels have ever discussed Guantanamo. These two Foreign Office committees were set up specifically to assist the Government when there is serious concern for the medical or legal status of British prisoners overseas. Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, has told us that “where consular officials are aware of a serious legal problem, they seek to solve this at local level before the use of either panel is considered”.
Our Government’s excuse is that it does not wish to set a precedent to act for British residents, rather than British citizens. We find this morally repugnant. The Foreign Office can and does act differently when circumstances suit, for example seeking to overturn a death sentence on an Afghan Christian convert, Abdul Rahman. Yet it feels unable to take any action for UK residents held illegally in Guantanamo.
Finally, given that the US military has awarded medals for doctors involved in the care of Guantanamo detainees (for medical treatment that would warrant a criminal investigation if carried out in Britain), we have no confidence in the proposed investigation of the recent suicides.
It is clear that an independent scrutiny is urgently required by physicians outside the US military. The silence of the Foreign Office is shameful and reflects the collusion of this country in a war crime.
Dr David Nicholl, City Hospital, Birmingham
Dr Charles Clarke, National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery, London (member of Pro Bono Medical Panel)
Mr David Halpin, Newton Abbot, Devon (member of Pro Bono Medical Panel)
Dr William Hopkins (Medical Foundation for Care of Victims of Torture)
Dr Adnan Siddiqui (CAGE Prisoners)
Prof Steven Miles, Center for Bioethics, Univ of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
Dr John Kalk, Derby Royal Infirmary, Derby (involved in treatment of apartheid hunger strikers)
Prof Elwyn Elias, former President of British Society of Gastroenterology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
Prof Alastair Forbes, Professor of Gastroenterology & Clinical Nutrition, (former Honorary Secretary of the British Society of Gastroenterology) University College London
Prof Niall Quinn, Chair of European Section, Movement Disorders Society, National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery, London
Dr Penny Neild, (Honorary Secretary for British Society for Parenteral & Enteral Nutrition), Consultant Gastroenterologist, St George’s Hospital, London
Dr Diana Lockwood, Editor of Leprosy Review, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London
Dr Ihtesham Sabri, Chair, Muslim Doctors Association
Dr Geraint Davies, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Bangkok, Thailand
Dr David Moore, Senior Lecturer in Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Lima, Peru
Mr Mohammed Abdus-Samee, London
Dr Irshad Hussain, London
Mrs Tasnim Khan, Morden, Surrey
Mr Pete Middleton, Kildalton, Argyll
Dr Sirfraz Nazir, London
Dr Annie Nehmad, London
Dr Aamir Iqbal, Worcester Park, Surrey
Dr Khaled Sherlala, Rugby, Warwickshire
Dr Omar Elsheikh, Birmingham
Dr Junia Rahman, London
Dr Alasdair Higgins, Appleton, Oxon
Dr Andrew Rouse, Birmingham
Dr Christopher Burns-Cox, Wooton-under-Edge, Glocs
Dr Tom Marshall, Birmingham
Dr Ram Kumar, Manchester
Dr Evalyn Segal, Philadephia, USA
Dr Jack Piachaud, London
Miss Fatima Ismailjee, Redbridge, Essex
Dr Wasim Hanif, Birmingham
Miss Elizabeth Wickham, Birmingham
Dr Louisa Nolan, Birmingham
Dr James Miller, Newcastle
Dr Johann te Water Naude, Cardiff
Dr Ambrin Dar, Carshalton, Surrey
Dr Sadaf Dar, Carshalton, Surrey
Dr Ajaz Ali, London
Dr Jenny Jenkins, Norwich
Dr Waseem Mohi, London
Dr Asad Luqmani, London
Dr Tessa Lancaster, Hayling Island, Hants
Dr Judith Cook, London
Dr Sherif El-Tawil, London
Dr Deborah Turfey, Sutton Coldfield
Dr Tony Whitehouse, Birmingham
Dr Caroline Hollington, London
Dr Calum Monro, London
Dr Catriona Greenwood, Brighton
Mr Tariq Shafi, London
Dr Alex Dombrowe, Brighton
Dr Nazia Rashid, Ipswich
Dr Peter Guest, Birmingham
Dr Shamil Yusuf, London
Dr Kate Kane, Birmingham
Mr Ibrar Majid, Leicester
Dr Peter Praamstra, Birmingham
Dr Shabana Yusuf, London
Dr Alex Mancey-Barratt, Brighton
Dr Emma Henney, Manchester
Dr Julie Platt, Aberdeen
Dr Christa Beesley, Brighton
Dr Rasheed Aziz, Croydon, Surrey
Dr Paul Cockwell, Birmingham
Dr Alexander Scott, Leicester
Dr Shri Pathmakanthan, Birmingham
Dr Robert Cramb, Birmingham
Dr Pijush Ray, Warwick
Dr Nicholas Davies, Birmingham
Dr MI Hasan, Manchester
Dr Miriam Al-Kashi, Hanworth, Middlesez
Dr Nadeem Khalid, Birmingham
Dr Rosia Shah, London
Dr Mazhar Chaudri, Birmingham
Dr Stephanie Sommers, Southwell, Notts
Dr Mark Paul, London
Dr Mark Horner, Felton, Northumberland
Dr Masood Majoka, Worcester
Dr Taqi Hashmi, London
Dr Edward Cooper, London
Dr Isaque Qureshi, London
Dr Emre Amirak, Harrow
Dr Andrea Lindahl, Stratford-upon-Avon
Dr Shahid Majid, Worcester Park, Surrey
Dr Rhodri Huws, Sheffield
Dr Nigel Dill Williams, Stoke-on-Trent
Dr Hugh Robertson-Ritchie, Folkstone
Dr Daniel Campion, London
Dr David Manovitch, Skipton
Dr Derek Summerfield, London
Mr Hamish Brown
Dr Saleh Lamin, Birmingham
Dr Murtuza Khan, London
Dr Leonie Boeing, Edinburgh
Dr Walayat Hussain, Manchester
Mr KJ Drabu, Kingsworth, Surrey
Dr Margaret McCartney, Glasgow
Dr Omer Moghraby, London
Dr Jamil Rahman, London
Dr Victoria Ripley, Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire
Dr W Shaida, London
Dr Imran Waheed, Solihull, W Midlands
Dr Hani BenAmer, Telford
Dr Talib Mearza, Bedford
Dr Elizabeth Anderson, Nottingham
Mr Saghir Sadiq, Manchester
Dr Omar Farooqui, Ilford
Dr Muniba Khan, South Croydon
Dr Aleem Khand, Newton Mearns, Scotland
Dr Lesley Wilson, Jersey, Channel Islands
Dr Mike Douglas, Birmingham
Dr Paul Cooper, Manchester
Dr Peter Gooderham, Cardiff
Dr Hussein Nagi, Blackwell, Worcestershire
Mr David Dunkleberger, Doylestown, PA, USA
Mr David Hocken, Swindon
Dr Janaka Pieris, London
