Liberal Democrats call for investigation into Rendition flights

5.35.23pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 14th Dec 2005

At Prime Minister's Questions today Liberal Democrat Leader Charles Kennedy MP challenged Tony Blair to hold an enquiry into rendition flights. This follows claims that MI6 officers interrogated a former UK student in Pakistan and then handed him to the CIA for 'extraordinary rendition' and torture.

Mr. Kennedy said "There are full enquiries into 'extraordinary rendition' now taking place in Italy, Spain, Germany and Canada. We have a legal and moral obligation to investigate why flights are being allowed to pass through our country for rendition purposes. The Prime Minister must explain, if terrorist suspects are not being transported to a third country for reasons of torture or mistreatment, then what are the purposes for which they are being transported?"