In this submission to the UK Foreign Affairs Committee Inquiry, Redress calls for the UK to maintain a foreign policy in the Middle East which reflects international anti-torture obligations, while supporting the transition to civil society and helping institutions in this region. The UK’s foreign policy should be based on scrupulous adherence to international human rights standards; it must avoid being seen to condone torture by breaching its non-refoulement obligations, by being complicit in torture, or by allowing the UK to be a safe-haven for torture suspects. The UK should play a constructive role to assist states in the process of addressing legacies of torture in times of transition by supporting civil society and helping institutions to function within states’ clear obligations contained in the UN Convention Against Torture.
Submission to the UK Foreign Affairs Committee Inquiry into British Foreign Policy and the Arab Spring
REDRESS submission to the UK Foreign Affairs Committee Inquiry asks that during this time, given the Arab Springs and its motivations, the UK should seek to maintain a foreign policy in the Middle East which reflects international anti-torture obligations along with supporting the transition to civil society and helping institutions in this region.