Informing Detainees of Rights

Sir Thayne Forbes has made just nine recommendations, and he acknowledges the progress that the Ministry has made since 2004 to improve all aspects of the prisoner-handling system—from policy and doctrine to unit-level instructions and procedures as well as training and oversight—and to ensure it complies with domestic and international law. I accept all nine recommendations in principle. I have commissioned urgent work on their practical implications—in particular, we will need to ensure that they will not prevent the armed forces from carrying out vital tasks—and I will announce to the House my detailed conclusions as soon as I can.

Recommendation 6. This envisages provision of information to all detainees on their rights and responsibilities on arrival in detention. The 3rd edition of Joint Doctrine Publication 1-10 requires that “Every [captured person], upon admission, shall be provided with written information and a verbal briefing (in a language they understand) about the regulations governing the treatment of [captured persons] …,” i.e. that they will be treated fairly and humanely in accordance with international humanitarian law. The next edition will provide greater detail as to the specific information that should be provided.