[MTVN]

What about all the times we have condemned governments around the world for their abuse of human rights? What about all the times that the likes of Iran have been frozen out from the international community because of how they treat their enemies? What about the times we have even toppled regimes and gone to war because of the disregard shown to international law?

You give leeway to our security services to torture detainees then you had better allow the same for the Russians, the Iranians, the Lebanese, the Syrians etc. etc. All governments that have to face up to extremism daily and have their citizens lives constantly under threat - for Russia in Chechnya, for the others constantly having IS on their doorsteps if not already inside their homes. We used the clandestine torturous activity of the Gaddafi regime as an excuse to bomb it. We came inches away from doing the same in Syria. For years we have wagged our finger at Iran for how they have treated their enemies because you either respect international law and human rights or you don't. You don't get to pick and choose. We were better than the Iranians though, apparently. We were different. We had consigned those methods to the scrap heap long ago. The hypocrisy is eye stinging. The only saving grace is that it has been laid bare. And in that sense, yes the US is better than Iran, Russia etc. because it has not swept this under the carpet. It has actually restored some of my faith in the West and Britain should follow but we obviously won't.

If this report motivates more people to the extremist cause then that is on those who carried out the torture. It is not on those who brought it to light. You say it's necessary in the interests of freedom and democracy well I would say it flies in the face of everything that those terms are supposed to mean.