Written question asked by Harry Cohen (Labour) on Thursday, 17 July 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 21 July 2008. It was answered by Kim Howells (Labour) on Monday, 15 September 2008 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Diego Garcia: Detainees

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2008, Official Report, columns 932-33W, on Diego Garcia: detainees, what investigation his Department has carried out into the allegations relating to the USS Bataan and the USNS Stockholm.

Answer: Pursuant to my answer of 7 May 2008, Official Report, columns 932-33W, during the course of our most recent exchanges, the US have confirmed to us that they have not held any detainees on ships within the territorial waters of Diego Garcia since 11 September 2001. They have also informed us that they do not operate detention facilities for terrorist suspects onboard ships. US naval vessels were used in the early days of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan to screen and temporarily hold a very small number of individuals pending their transfer to land-based detention facilities. The US has informed us that these ships were not located within the territorial waters of Diego Garcia. We are not aware of any of these ships being supplied from the island.In a matter unrelated to terrorist suspects, the US have informed us that they apprehended pirates on ships in the vicinity of the Horn of Africa and that these individuals were detained on US Naval vessels pending their delivery to the land of a nation with jurisdiction to try them.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 220879; 479 c2182-3W
Session: 2007-08
Related items: Diego Garcia: Detainees
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects: Rendition Diego Garcia
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk