HL Deb 21 October 2003 vol 653 cc158-9WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether allied forces in Afghanistan are holding prisoners in underground cellars at Bagram airbase; whether there have been any deaths in custody there; whether sensory deprivation during the flight from Bagram to Cuba has affected the mental health of the prisoners; and what representations they have made, or are making, to the United States Government. [HL4626]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)

No British citizens are currently being held at Bagram and none of the detainees held there was captured by British forces. The British Government do not have detailed information on non-British detainees at Bagram or the conditions in which detainees are moved elsewhere. The ICRC has been able to assess conditions at Bagram since 22 January 2002 and the two widely reported deaths in custody there in December 2002 are under investigation by the US military. We are not aware of any further fatalities at Bagram. We believe that all detainees should be treated humanely and we remain in regular contact with the United States, at both ministerial and official level, about the situation of detainees.