Amnesty warns of ‘terrorism deportations’

Amnesty International has warned EU member states against adopting a Europe-wide agreement to deport foreign terrorist suspects to countries where they risk torture.

In a letter to the Portuguese ministers for justice and the interior, the human rights group expresses concern at attempts by some member states to bring to the EU agenda the issue of seeking "diplomatic assurances" from third countries not to torture terrorist suspects who have been deported. "Should the EU endorse reliance on diplomatic assurances to remove alleged terrorist suspects from its territory, it risks finding itself complicit in torture and other ill-treatment and damaging its credibility as a global actor for the protection and promotion of human rights," the letter states.

The issue was raised at a meeting last month of interior ministers from the Union’s six largest states.

EU justice and interior ministers at a meeting in April agreed to inform each other when an expulsion had taken place.

A spokesman for the European Commission said that there was no proposal currently under consideration. But member states may discuss the issue when the Commission’s recent counter-terrorism package comes up for negotiation.

Several member states, including the UK, Sweden, France and the Netherlands, have attempted to deport terrorist suspects to countries such as Libya, Egypt and India.

Domestic courts and the European Court of Human Rights have ruled against deporting suspects where a risk of torture existed.

Amnesty International has warned EU member states against adopting a Europe-wide agreement to deport foreign terrorist suspects to countries where they risk torture.