Guantánamo Bay prisoners to get millions from British government

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UK Guardian:

The government has agreed to pay millions of pounds in compensation to former Guantánamo Bay detainees following weeks of negotiations between lawyers for the government and the former prisoners.

Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke will make an oral statement on the issue in the House of Commons at about 3.30pm.

A written statement had been planned, but the government was under pressure to announce to allow debate and questions.

Ministers appear to have decided on the advice of the security services that they could not afford to risk the exposure of thousands of documents in open court on how Britain co-operated with the US on the so-called extraordinary rendition of terrorist suspects.

Some of the suspects, who were taken for interrogation in secret locations around the world before ending up in Guantánamo, were alleged to have links with the Afghan Taliban.

According to ITN, the high court has been notified that a settlement had been reached between the lawyers. The exact amounts may never be known, but at least one detainee is understood to be in line for a payout of more than £1m.