Ex-ambassador slams Straw over torture

[struggle4progress]

<snip> Craig Murray, the former ambassador to Uzbekistan who last week announced he would stand against Jack Straw in the general election, was speaking after receiving £315,000 in red undancy pay from the Foreign and Commonwealth Off ice. He insists the pay-off means he has been exonerated of misbehaviour in speaking out about human rights abuses in the former Soviet republic and accusing the UK government of using intelligence obtained by torture.

“The UN has said torture is widespread and systematic in Uzbekistan. But the Uzbeks know fine that their security services are passing on to the CIA and MI6 the results of the torture, and they’re lapping them up,” Murray said.

“So even though the Foreign Office will tell you, ‘Oh, we have condemned torture in Uzbekistan’, it doesn’t mean anything, because by accepting the intelligence you are tipping them the wink to carry on.”

He added: “I think Jack Straw has chucked any notion of an ethical foreign policy completely out of the window.” <snip>

http://www.sundayherald.com/47847

[aneerkoinos]

1. Whoa

That's very undiplomatic from a former diplomat! :)

Good to see he has balls and is making Straw and Blair pay, hope he wins or at least succeeds dropping Straw from the Parliament.

[NYC]

2. I hope he has a long and loud campaign.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Very interesting - this election's protest candidate?

although Blackburn should, in theory, be a safe seat for Labour (54% in the last election, v. Tories 31% and Lib Dems 8%), it also has a high Muslim population - about 20%. An 'anti-torture' candidate might do quite well there.

From his statement announcing his candidacy (no party mentioned - I presume he will be an independent, a la Martin Bell - will the Lib Dems, or even the Tories, make way for him?):

"Straw is the foreign secretary who saw the UK enter an illegal war against the wishes of the UN security council.

Straw is the foreign secretary who expressly agreed that MI6 should use intelligence material obtained under torture. And Straw is foreign secretary when we have slavishly sold out any ethical principles for blind support of George Bush."

The statement added: "Many Labour supporters are angry, disillusioned or plain bewildered by this. Nationally, they still may want Labour to win. But in Blackburn they have the opportunity, by rejecting the foreign secretary, to reject this aberrant foreign policy."

It continued: "A vote for Jack Straw is a vote for a dossier of lies. A vote is a vote for illegal war. A vote for Jack Straw is a vote for torture. A vote for Jack Straw is a vote for George Bush."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1415409,00.html

Go Murray!