The British government is hiding behind a "wall of secrecy" over claims its agents were complicit in the torture of "terrorism" suspects, a parliamentary committee has said.
The MPs said that the British government had not sufficiently addressed its alleged involvement in the torture of suspects held overseas, and called for an independent inquiry.
"Ministers are determined to avoid parliamentary scrutiny and accountability," the parliamentary committee on human rights said in a report released on Tuesday.
"We look to the government to respond positively to our recommendations and not to continue to hide behind their wall of secrecy."
The British government has maintained that it does not condone or participate in torture.
But it has not addressed specific allegations that Britain participated indirectly by obtaining intelligence from "suspects" who had been tortured overseas, or sending agents to visit "suspects" who suffered mistreatment in foreign facilities.
Detainees 'abused'
The government has been questioned repeatedly over the past five years about its alleged involvement, with several former detainees saying they were tortured, with the knowledge of British intelligence officers, while held abroad.
Tuesday's report examined eight suspects who have made claims against British agents, including that of Binyam Mohamed, a former Guantanamo detainee.
He says he was tortured and abused by foreign agents while in Pakistan and later in Morocco, before being transferred to the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay in 2004.
British police launched a criminal investigation into his allegations after he was released without charge earlier this year.
Last week, a human rights group launched a legal action against the government, accusing it of involvement in the rendition of Mohammed Saad Iqbal Madni from Indonesia via British territory to Egypt, where he says he was tortured.
The committee did not pass judgment on the allegations, but said proof of British complicity in torture would be a breach of international human rights treaties.
A government spokesman, responding to the report, said there was no need to hold an independent inquiry and that the committee had not brought up any new allegations.
PHOTO CAPTION
An undated handout image of Binyam Mohamed.
Al-Jazeera