HC Deb 08 July 1968 vol 768 cc11-2
5. Mr. Archer

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make proposals at the Council of Europe, with a view to the conducting of an investigation into allegations of torture by security police at Dionysos Camps.

Mr. Mulley

Questions of violation of Human Rights in Greece, including allegations of torture, are already being considered in the European Commission of Human Rights.

Mr. Archer

Does my right hon. Friend agree that this is a completely new allegation and that if it is true, it is a very serious matter? Does he agree that if it is true, irrespective of the political complexion of the Government which has committed these offences, questions of human rights are not pronouncements about political differences?

Mr. Mulley

I agree that those considerations should be kept apart, but I do not think that my hon. Friend appreciates that the matter was formally put to the Human Rights Commission by the Danish, Norwegian and Swedish Governments on 25 th March and that the independent judicial investigation is in their hands and that we cannot attempt to interfere with that process.

Viscount Lambton

Will the right hon. Gentleman say whether he had any comments on the tortures from the all-party delegation which went to Greece?

Mr. Mulley

We had reports from the all-party delegation, but I do not think that its members would claim to be in a position to submit an independent investigation of the kind which we hope the European Commission is now conducting.