Editorial note: If you have not yet read our mission statement above, please do so in order that you can put our blogs in context. 

12 March 2013

Charles, Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne, and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, were officially welcomed to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan today 12 March by King Abdullah II and his wife, Queen Rania.

This was the first full day of a three-day trip to the Middle East by the Prince and Duchess.

The Jordanian monarchy was set up in 1921 with Britain’s help.

Jordan is a staunch ally of Britain and America in the “war on terror”.  It is frequently referred to in the media as allegedly a destination of choice among western intelligence agencies for the interrogation of terror suspects under torture. An unknown number of suspects are said to have been “rendered” – forcibly transported in secret – to Jordan by western security operatives for this purpose.

Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned Jordan’s role in the interrogation under torture of rendered suspects.

Commenting on an Amnesty International report, published in July 2006, alleging the torture of suspects rendered to Jordan, Amnesty official Malcolm Smart said:

“Jordan appears to be a central hub in a global complex of secret detention centres operated by the US in coordination with foreign intelligence agencies. It is into this complex that suspects ‘disappear’ – and are held for interrogation indefinitely, outside any legal or administrative process.”

The Jordanian authorities are understood to deny all such allegations.

The High Court in London yesterday 11 March heard an appeal by the UK Government against a decision by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) to block the deportation of Islamist cleric Abu Qatada from UK to Jordan to face terror charges.

SIAC had ruled that Abu Qatada would suffer a flagrant denial of justice in Jordan since evidence obtained under torture would be used against him at his trial.

According to a report in the London Guardian today 12 March, at the High Court hearing yesterday, Lord Dyson, Master of the Rolls, reminded the UK government counsel that torture was endemic in the state security system in Jordan.

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 You might perhaps care to view some of our earlier posts.  For instance:

1. Why? or How? That is the question (3 Jan 2012)

2. Partitocracy v. Democracy (20 July 2012)

3. The shoddiest possible goods at the highest possible prices (2 Feb 2012)

4. Capitalism in practice  (4 July 2012) 

5.Ladder  (21 June 2012)

 6. A tale of two cities (1)  (6 June 2012)

 7. A tale of two cities (2)  (7 June 2012)

 8. Where’s the beef? Ontology and tinned meat (31 Jan 2012)

Every so often we shall change this sample of previously published posts.

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