Cruel Britannia: A Secret History of Torture

Description

The official line is clear: the UK does not 'participate in, solicit, encourage or condone' torture. And yet, the evidence is irrefutable: when faced with potential threats to our national security, the gloves always come off. Drawing on previously unseen official documents, and the accounts of witnesses, victims and experts, prize-winning investigative journalist Ian Cobain looks beyond the cover-ups and the equivocations, to get to the truth. From WWII to the War on Terror, via Kenya and Northern Ireland, Cruel Britannia shows how the British have repeatedly and systematically resorted to torture, bending the law where they can, and issuing categorical denials all the while. What emerges is a picture of Britain that challenges our complacency and exposes the lie behind our reputation for fair play The Secrets of My Prison House: The Second World War and Its Aftermath For Purposes of Revenge: The Cold War Soiling the Honour of the Country: Colonial Conflict, 1945-67 A Barbaric Assault on the Mind: Scientific Advances, 1950-70 The Five Techniques: Northern Ireland, 1971-2 Plenty of Slap and Tickle: Northern Ireland, 1972-91 Standing Shoulder to Shoulder on the Dark Side: Britain and the Rendition Programme after 9/11 The Fruits of the Poisoned Tree: Outsourcing Torture, Z2002=11 The Final Sifting: The British Military in Iraq, 2003-8 Conclusion Notes Bibliography Acknowledgements Index