British 'torture victims' lose right to sue Saudi officials

The House of Lords allowed an appeal by Saudi Arabia against a Court of Appeal decision in October 2004 that effectively removed blanket immunity for officials from foreign states accused of serious crimes like torture.

Saudi Arabia had argued that its officials were protected by the State Immunity Act from proceedings brought in Britian.

Sandy Mitchell, Les Walker and Bill Sampson were arrested after a series of terrorist bombings in Riyadh and Khobar, eastern Saudi Arabia, six years ago and claimed they were tortured into admitting responsibility.

The fourth man, Ron Jones, was seized after being injured in a bomb blast outside a bookshop.

His treatment by captors, which included being beaten on his hands and feet, being suspended by his arms, deprived of sleep and forcibly fed mind-altering drugs, has been independently confirmed.

All the men were released after an attack in May 2003 in the Saudi capital by the Al-Qaeda terror network, which disproved official Saudi claims that the bombings were the result of an alcohol turf war among Westerners.