Extracted from Cruel Britannia by Ian Cobain, published by Portobello Books at £18.99. © Ian Cobain 2012. To order a copy for £15.99 (p&p free), call 0843 382 0000.
By Ian Cobain –
Britain has a reputation as a nation that prides itself on its love of fair play and respect for the rule of law. We claim the moral high ground when it comes to human rights. We were among the first to sign the 1929 Geneva Convention on the humane treatment of prisoners of war.
Surely, you would think, the British avoid torture? But you would be wrong, as my research into what has gone on behind closed doors for decades shows.
It was in 2005 during my work as an investigative reporter that I came across a veiled mention of a World War II detention centre known as the London Cage. It took a number of Freedom Of Information requests to the Foreign Office before government files were reluctantly handed over.
Read more: In the Daily Mail UK
Tainted: Bindfolded German soldiers may have been forced into untrue admissions, it has been revealed
Justice / October 27, 2012
This expose is shocking – and,the readers’ views after the news item in Daily Mail are ‘mild’ to ‘shocking’.
The days of Feudalism were worse.One professor said “We british treated our serfs better than how we treated our colonials.
Horrendous human rights violations were commited by troops of the British East India Company,during the Indian First War of Independence – dubbed as the Seapoy Mutiny – details are in the web.
But britain has learned from its mistakes.
Now, Rule of Law is supreme,and the Queen’s judges do not tolerate human rights violations.
Even police are under scrutiny for suspected violations,by an independant body.Army members are courtmartialled for HR violations against the enemy.
But, have we improved since the era quoted by Mahawamsa,when all kings mentioned, killed their predecessors to ascend the throne?
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Leela / October 29, 2012
Justice,
From where have you picked that “… era quoted by Mahawamsa, when all kings mentioned, killed their predecessors to ascend the throne?”
Leela
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Lasantha Pethiyagoda / October 27, 2012
There’s nothing new in this, although one must give credit for the author’s perseverence in looking for the information.
One merely needs to look at India and the British Raj for the scale of atrocities committed. The British were partners in every American war in the last century.
Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Falluja, Najaf, Basra, Bagram, Kabul, the list of names is so long…two million innocent Iraqis had to die for the fabricated Downing Streeet dossiers and plagiarised fictions of Blair and Co, in just one such example. Fair? Just? Not by a long shot!!
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kuweni / October 28, 2012
These are the people who preach us to be vigilant about so called human rights….& war crimes….
All media agencies under the influnec of $$$$$$$ are silent about these atrocities commited by western powers, except Daily Mail UK ?
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Leela / October 29, 2012
There are many books written in English by the likes of eminent professor and historian Tennakoon Wimalananda on deceit and cruelty of double tongued British colonials in Sri Lanka.
In 1815, Sinhala aristocrats deposed their king handed over the country British on an agreement. From the day one, British dishonoured its covenants. So arose 1817-1818 Uva-Wellassa rebellion. And the British put it down viciously. They killed all cattle and other animals belong to people. They burnt homes, of the people involved in the uprising and massacred the entire male population above the age of 18 years of age. Then they systematically destroyed the irrigation systems of the duchies of Uva and thereby the rice-bowl of Sri Lanka.
Besides, I heard enough first hand horrific ordeals of Mau Mau freedom fighters suffered at the hands of the British colonial brutes from a Kenyan who studied with me in late sixties in the UK. So this is of no surprise for me at all. My surprise is how they covered it all this time. Then I’ve seen the 1997 Chinese historical epic film ‘Opium War’ directed by Xie Jin where true British unkindness and wickedness is clearly on display.
Anyway, I wish someone translate this book to Sinhala and publish it in paperback form so that our people can buy it cheap and learn the background of those who try to teach human rights to us. Hypocrites!
Leela
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Jamal / October 29, 2012
What happened in Iraq, Libya and what is happening in Afghanistan is the same thing in a different flavour. When Mrs B referred to the rapacious West those who had their loyalty to the West took exceptional umbrage at her remarks. Today we see a repeat of history, and the Western greed for oil and its inexplicable loyalty to Israel (paid for by kickbacks to party funds etc) effecting this destructive policy to de-stabilize nations and wantonly murdering civilians, men women and children. Human rights and freedom of speech all have a double standard – one for the West and another for the rest of the world.
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Grace Mugabe / October 29, 2012
True the Queen has German blood but not the SS.
In Sri Lanka “the regime” killed its own people not foreign invaders.
Isn’t it a crime against humanity??
When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.
“Those without power cannot defend freedom”
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