Binyam Mohamed, a British resident, claims he was repeatedly tortured over the time he was held at Guantanamo Bay.
Mohamed was released in February and returned to the UK. His lawyers want the British High Court to disclose a seven-paragraph briefing about the mistreatment he alledges the UK government knew about.
The court was told that release of the information “could” damage US-UK relations, a view apparently shared by British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.
The High Court judges were concerned about several things, including whether “could” might become “would” and whether the Foreign Secretary realised what had been said in his name. The BBC reported that a transcript of the argument would be “sent directly to the foreign secretary for him to confirm what had been said in his name.”
A State Department spokesman was asked at a Daily Press Briefing if the release of the information from the trial would hinder US intelligence sharing with Britain. The spokesman responded by saying “The United States and the UK government continue to share a commitment to protect sensitive national security information and preserve the long-standing intelligence sharing relationship that enables both countries to protect their citizens.”
This statement is as expected because the State Department does not comment on intelligence matters, so the effect of the Binyam Mohamed trial on information sharing with Britain will only be known if the information is released.
