Tri-Service

Claims Of Waterboarding By UK Soldiers In 1970s Northern Ireland

Declassified documents, given to Channel 4 News, suggest that the British Government knew of allegations of torture including 'waterboarding' by British soldiers in Northern Ireland in the 1970s.

The term had not even been coined at the time but according to one of the documents from 1972 the then Irish Prime Minister, Jack Lynch, told his UK opposite number Edward Heath about the practice at a meeting in Downing Street.

A previously secret minute of that meeting says Mr Lynch gave an account of a man "forced to lie on his back on the floor, a wet towel placed over his head, and water poured over it to give him the impression that he would be suffocated."

The memo was released by the Pat Finucane Centre, a civil rights group in Northern Ireland, while Channel 4 has broadcast anonymous interviews with two men who say they were subjected to waterboarding in the 1970s.

One of the men also describes being subjected to electric shocks as part of his torture.

What appears to be British government memo from 1976 also mentions an allegation of electric shock treatment, by a man claiming he had been tortured. It recommended the case be settled out of court to avoid exemplary damages.

Five years ago Liam Holden told the BBC he had been tortured into confessing the murder of a Parachute Regiment soldier in 1972.

He was sentenced to death but the penalty was then dropped in Northern Ireland, and instead he remained in prison for 17 years. Thirteen years after his release his conviction was quashed.

What is new in this latest report is documents that appear to confirm the British Government knew, at the very highest level, of allegations of torture.

Amnesty has called for an investigation into the new claims of waterboarding and electric shock treatment.

Its call was backed by former Liberal Democrat Leader Lord Ashdown, who commanded troops in Northern Ireland in the 1970s.

He told the BBC "I do not believe that the government would have sanctioned these at a high level but it does appear to be the case that they certainly hid the facts and I find that unacceptable."

He said he was not surprised by the allegations, but added that he never condoned such actions and nor did he know anyone who condoned the use of torture at the time.

In a statement to Channel 4 News the Ministry of Defence said: "The UK government considers torture or inhuman treatment to be an abhorrent violation of human rights and human dignity and consistently and unreservedly condemns the practice. It would not be appropriate to comment further on specific allegations."

These claims of torture come from the very height of the Troubles, in which more than 1,000 British troops and 1,800 civilians were killed.

Research published by The Conflict Archive on the Internet attributes around 60% of deaths to Republican paramilitaries, 30% to Loyalist paramilitaries and 10% to British security forces.