Recommendation AS-6: Informing Detainees of Rights
From The Report of the Al-Sweady Inquiry, published 17 December 2014.
Recommendation
All detainees should be clearly informed of their rights and obligations as soon as is practicable upon arrival at any detention facility. As a minimum this should include informing the detainee as to the reason(s) for his detention and explaining, in clear and basic terms, that his human rights will be protected and respected.
In brief (written by this site)
In March 2015, the Ministry of Defence reported that this recommendation was in progress, noting that existing doctrine already required captured persons to receive written information and a verbal briefing on the regulations governing their treatment (Ministry of Defence, Mar 2015). The department stated in March 2015 that the next edition of Joint Doctrine Publication 1-10 would provide greater detail on the specific information that should be provided (Ministry of Defence, Mar 2015).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
Sir Thayne Forbes has made just nine recommendations, and he acknowledges the progress that the Ministry has made since 2004 to improve all aspects of the prisoner-handling system—from policy and doctrine to unit-level instructions and procedures as well as training and oversight—and to ensure it complies with domestic and international law. I accept all nine recommendations in principle. I have commissioned urgent work on their practical implications—in particular, we will need to ensure that they will not prevent the armed forces from carrying out vital tasks—and I will announce to the House my detailed conclusions as soon as I can.
Blanket government agreement does not establish acceptance or delivery by each addressee. Some response passages cover groups of recommendations.
Scope of the government response
The Secretary of State for Defence accepted all nine recommendations in principle together, in one passage of his statement to the House of Commons on 17 December 2014. That passage is shown on each recommendation and is not a response to any one of them alone. He said he would announce his detailed conclusions later. His written statement of 12 March 2015 (HCWS383) and the report on implementation he placed in the Library of the House that day (deposited paper DEP2015-0312) give the Ministry of Defence's account of each recommendation; they are shown as status updates.
Delivery
Ministry of Defence says in progress (12 March 2015)
Recommendation 6. This envisages provision of information to all detainees on their rights and responsibilities on arrival in detention. The 3rd edition of Joint Doctrine Publication 1-10 requires that “Every [captured person], upon admission, shall be provided with written information and a verbal briefing (in a language they understand) about the regulations governing the treatment of [captured persons] …,” i.e. that they will be treated fairly and humanely in accordance with international humanitarian law. The next edition will provide greater detail as to the specific information that should be provided.
From: Report on implementation of Al-Sweady Inquiry recommendations
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Ministry of Defence
Response, delivery statement