BRITISH police provided training for countries with poor human rights records across more than a dozen sessions, it was revealed\u00a0today.<\/p>\n
England and Wales\u2019s professional body for policing has trained Egyptian and Saudi Arabian officers on 13 occasions since 2023, a freedom of information request by Declassified UK has\u00a0found.<\/p>\n
The College of Policing went forward with programmes despite both countries being designated \u201chuman rights priority countries\u201d by the Foreign Office in 2024, due to a high number of executions and arbitrary detention of political\u00a0opponents.<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabian human rights defender and founder of Britain-based group Alqst, Yahya Assiri, said it is \u201cclear that these states are not seeking such training out of a genuine commitment to reform, but rather to bolster their legitimacy and implicate the UK in ongoing\u00a0violations.\u201d<\/p>\n
A brochure for a 2014 programme from the College of Policing included modules for investigations, dealing with the media and human\u00a0rights.<\/p>\n
Training sessions were also provided during the same period to the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Singapore, which have carried out executions in the last three years, Declassified\u00a0reported.<\/p>\n
Reprieve\u2019s Jeed Basyouni said the training \u201crisks British police getting mixed up in serious human rights\u00a0abuses.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, Saudi police continue to arrest child protesters who are at risk of death penalty charges \u2014 and child defendants like Youssef al-Manasif and Jawad Qureiras remain at risk of execution after joining\u00a0protests.\u201d<\/p>\n
The College of Policing\u2019s Luke Edwards said: \u201cOur international training is underpinned by rigorous human rights assessment and\u00a0oversight.<\/p>\n
\u201cRespect for human rights, the rule of law, accountability and ethical policing is embedded throughout our standards, guidance and\u00a0training.\u201d<\/p>\n