Britain: Britain's highest court was condemned yesterday by human rights groups who said it had allowed Saudi Arabia to get away with the torture of British citizens.
The House of Lords ruled unanimously that four men who say they suffered serious physical and mental abuse in Saudi jails cannot sue those responsible because foreign officials are protected by the State Immunity Act.
British prime minister Tony Blair faced questioning in the Commons over the Law Lords ruling, saying the government totally condemned torture.
His government had intervened in the case to support the State Immunity Act after the kingdom of Saudi Arabia went to the House of Lords to challenge a ruling in the Court of Appeal in October 2004 allowing the men to sue for damages.
Liberal Democrat MP John Pugh asked what "meaningful" legal redress there was for Britons tortured abroad in the light of the ruling.
Mr Blair replied: "We intervened in this particular case in order to ensure that the rules of international law and state immunity are fully and accurately presented and upheld.
"That is something that is obviously important for us as a country as with others." He added: "But our strong position against torture remains unchanged."
Sandy Mitchell, from Glasgow; Les Walker, from the Wirral; and Bill Sampson, a British citizen who had emigrated to Canada, were arrested six years ago after a series of terrorist bombings in the Saudi capital Riyadh, and Khobar in eastern Saudi Arabia.
They claimed they were tortured into admitting responsibility. The fourth man, Ron Jones, from Crawley, was seized after being injured in a bomb blast outside a bookshop.
All four are expected to take their case to the European Court of Justice.
After yesterday's judgment, Mr Sampson said: "I am not surprised because the Lords were having to make an adjudication based upon law that should have been changed years ago but for the hypocrisy of the government, which is quite happy to maintain the state immunity law denying citizens the right to seek redress against states that torture them."
Mr Jones said: "I am really disappointed in the judgment. We have come to the highest court in the land and we have not received justice."
Mr Walker said he was disgusted with the way the British government had acted. "It's all down to money and oil and planes. Don't upset the Saudis. That's the British government's view."
The four men were backed by Amnesty International, The Redress Trust, Interights and Justice.
In a joint statement, the human rights groups said: "Today is a sad day for British justice.
"The UK's highest court gave complete immunity to the Saudi torturers of four UK citizens who were subjected to treatment including beatings, suspension from brackets and death sentences by partial beheading.
"The House of Lords ignored their right to justice and shielded the perpetrators from legal process.Torture is recognised as a crime under international law in which all states have a legal interest and, indeed, an obligation to ensure that justice is done." - (PA)