What is 'Extraordinary Rendition'?
Rendition and extraordinary rendition are not terms defined by law. They describe the process by which a detainee is transferred from one state to another, outside normal legal processes (i.e. extradition, deportation, etc). In many cases these detainees are transferred to secret detention or to a third country for the purposes of interrogation, often in circumstances where they face a real risk of torture.
On 5 December 2005 US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice confirmed that the United States was using renditions to transfer suspected terrorists "from the country where they were captured to their home country or to other countries where they can be questioned, held, or brought to justice". You can read the full statement here.
On 6 September 2006 US President George Bush set out more details of the US rendition programme. He confirmed that, in a separate programme run by the CIA, some suspected terrorists were held in secret locations outside the United States and interrogated using an "alternative set of procedures". You can read this statement in full here.
The APPG on Extraordinary Rendition
The All Party Parliamentary Group on Extraordinary Rendition was established by Andrew Tyrie in December 2005 in response to allegations that the UK had been involved in the US rendition programme. It is a cross party grouping of MPs and Peers from the British parliament who have come together to examine extraordinary rendition and related issues.
The Chairman of the APPG is Andrew Tyrie MP, the Vice-Chairmen are Chris Mullin MP and Norman Lamb MP, and the Treasurer is Lord Hodgson. The Coordinator of the APPG is Stuart McCracken.
The APPG is supported by contributions from trusts, foundations, nongovernmental organisations and private individuals. It receives no money from any government.
The APPG's entry in the Official register is available online.
ISC letter to HRW - 19.02.10
We have reached a fork in the road (2356)
