Today's judgment has put the onus firmly on the United Kingdom (UK) authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and its absolute ban on torture, Amnesty International said in a first reaction to the Law Lords' ruling. "It is deplorable that the UK government had to be taken to court over this. Over the last two and a half years the authorities have shamefully sought to defend the indefensible," Amnesty International said. The Law Lords have confirmed that evidence obtained through torture is never acceptable except in proceedings against the alleged torturer. The ruling confirms the otherwise absolute inadmissibility in judicial proceedings in the UK of "evidence" extracted under torture.

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