London sued over rendition case

LONDON, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Lawyers for a human-rights group have sued the British government for information regarding the welfare of two Pakistani militants in custody in Afghanistan.

Lawyers for Reprieve say two men allegedly linked to al-Qaida affiliate Lashkar-e-Toiba were tortured and suffer from mental disorders due to harsh interrogation techniques.

British forces arrested the two men in Iraq in 2004 and transferred them to the U.S. detention facility at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan where they remain in custody.

The organization is suing the British Ministry of Defense for access to their identities and for information regarding their well-being, London's Guardian newspaper reports.

Leigh Day, the law firm representing Lawyers for Reprieve, complained in a letter to British Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth that there is "no doubt" the two men endured "potentially very serious torture."

The Defense Ministry has not responded, though defense officials in February admitted to giving "inaccurate information" to British lawmakers regarding the LeT suspects.

Clive Stafford Smith, director at Reprieve, blasted the British government for admitting to the "crime of rendition" but doing nothing to remedy the situation.

The Defense Ministry issued a statement saying it is "considering" the measure, adding it had assurances from Washington that the detainees were held in humane conditions at Bagram.