Some graphic reports in the British papers from the young men who have been released after being held prisoner in Guantanamo Bay for so long. Pretty graphic and appalling stuff it is. I'm reminded of accounts by hostages like Brian Keenan who were held prisoner by terrorists in Lebanon - though the conditions in these current cases appear to have been even worse.

Here is a link to an account by three of the released men Revealed: the full story of the Guantanamo Britons (And this is in The Observer, a paper which actually came down in favour of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.)

And, not to be unfair, here's what Colin Powell had to say about it: "We don't abuse people who are in our care. I think we have discharged all of our obligations under the Geneva Convention to treat people in our custody, our detainees, in a very humanitarian way."

Well, obviously someone is lying. It would be good to assume that there will be an independent inquiry to identify what actually happened, and what the conditions under which these people are being held.

It would be very wrong if the fact that horrible things have been, and are still being done by terrorists were to be used as a justification for behaviour that, if it is true, is a disgrace to everyone responsible for carrying out, authorising it, or colluding in it. That would be as wrong as when terrorists use this kind of thing as a justification for their own actions.