LONDON, March 7 (UPI) -- The British government faces further questions over its involvement in the U.S. practice of rendition after details of suspect flights emerged Tuesday.
Information provided by the Ministry of Defense on the routes of U.S. aircraft passing through British military airfields suggested the flights had been transferring prisoners abroad for interrogation, the Liberal Democrat Party said.
The Ministry of Defense disclosed in a response to Lib Dem Leader Sir Menzies Campbell that aircraft that landed at British airports had origins and destinations including the Libyan capital Tripoli, Islamabad in Pakistan, Marrakech in Morocco and Doha in Qatar.
Lib Dem Shadow Foreign Secretary Michael Moore said: "Bit by bit the jigsaw becomes clearer. But it would be a lot easier if the government would simply ask the U.S. administration some straightforward questions.
"How many individuals have been subject to rendition by the U.S.A. via the U.K. since 1998?
"Apart from Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan and Iraq, how many other detention centers are operated by the U.S.A. or on its behalf, and how many people are at them?
"What assurances can be given that the interrogation techniques used do not amount to 'cruel, inhuman or degrading' treatment, which is illegal under international law?
"After months of uncertainty, we now need clear answers."
The British government denies that any U.S. flights involved in rendition have passed through its territory or airspace. However, they have failed the quell the controversy surrounding the practice, which critics say is used to avoid human rights restrictions on interrogation methods.
In February, the National Air Traffic Service revealed that some 200 flights operated by the CIA had passed through commercial airports and airspace since 2001.
The MoD had previously refused requests for such data, saying it was not stored centrally and would be expensive to retrieve.
