Sweden torture plan rejected in Europe
The Local Sweden - [email protected]
Published: 24 Apr, 2006 CET.
Updated: Mon 24 Apr 2006 13:55 CET
The Council of Europe has rejected a Swedish proposal to devise rules for dealing with so-called diplomatic guarantees, under which suspected criminals are sent to foreign countries in exchange for promises not to use torture.
The council dismissed the Swedish suggestion, saying that all 45 member countries should reject such guarantees unreservedly when considering deporting people to countries that carry out torture.
The Swedish initiative came after two Egyptians were sent from Sweden to their homeland in 2001, in return for guarantees from the Egyptian government that they would not be tortured.
The United Nations and Human Rights Watch were among the organizations to criticize Sweden for taking the guarantee into account. The guarantee had no force in law, and there were no systems for checking that the Egyptian authorities abided by it.
TT/The Local
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The council dismissed the Swedish suggestion, saying that all 45 member countries should reject such guarantees unreservedly when considering deporting people to countries that carry out torture.
The Swedish initiative came after two Egyptians were sent from Sweden to their homeland in 2001, in return for guarantees from the Egyptian government that they would not be tortured.
The United Nations and Human Rights Watch were among the organizations to criticize Sweden for taking the guarantee into account. The guarantee had no force in law, and there were no systems for checking that the Egyptian authorities abided by it.
TT/The Local
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