European governments putting people at risk of torture

A number of European countries are failing to protect people from torture. They are sending, or trying to send, people to countries where they are at risk of being tortured, depending on unreliable, unenforceable diplomatic assurances that these people will not be harmed.

Countries cannot rely on promises of proper treatment from governments whose security forces routinely torture and abuse prisoners. A dozen states, including Britain, France, Germany and Sweden have tried to transfer prisoners to countries with appalling records for the treatment of prisoners, like Russia, Egypt and Turkey.