Yet another British torture cover-up

Legal action charity Reprieve condemned its action in the case of Mohammed Saad Iqbal Madni (pictured), a Pakistani national who the US renditioned deom Jakarta to Cairo in 2002 via the British territory of Diego Garcia.

Until Wednesday evening the government had insisted that it held no evidence relating to the case - but then it suddenly announced that the evidence did exist after all, before calling for it to be heard in secret.

After years of the government denying any knowledge of the use of Diego Garcia during the process of torture and rendition, Foreign Secretary David Miliband was forced to admit in 2008 that on two separate occasions "a plane with a single detainee on board refuelled at the US facility in Diego Garcia."

One of those men was Mr Madni.

He alleges he was flown to Cairo manacled inside a "coffin-shaped box" and then suffered beatings, electric shocks and was hung from the ceiling by a metal hook.

He was then sent to Afghanistan, where his abuse continued at the hands of the US, before finally being imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay.

Lawyers for Mr Madni state that he is mentally and physically debilitated as a result of his torture and detention and is unable to walk.

He is taking legal action in a bid to force the Foreign Secretary to disclose information that could assist him in identifying those involved in his torture.

Despite the previous denials, Mr Miliband's representatives have now written to the court admitting that "the defendant has possession of documents which have a bearing on whether any British or American authorities were mixed up in the wrongdoing against the claimant."

Mr Miliband requested that this evidence be heard in secret meaning that Mr Madni would not be entitled to hear it. After legal wrangling the evidence will now be heard by special advocates.

The government also requested that the case not be heard prior to June 7, after the general election. A decision had yet to be made as to the timetable at time of press.

Reprieve accused the government of breaching its own guidelines on disclosure.

These guidelines were amended in January by the Treasury solicitor, after the government was condemned by the courts for failing to disclose evidence and information in the cases of Binyam Mohamed and Hamid al-Sweady.

Reprieve director Clive Stafford Smith, said: "The government just does not get it.

"After weeks of being told not to cover up evidence of torture in the Binyam Mohamed case, they are trying to create new rules to cover up even more of their complicity in crime. So much for 'transparency'.

"Again, we know the British were mixed up in the wrongdoing in Diego Garcia. Why not just admit the truth, and work on rules to make sure it never happens again?"