THE United Nations torture watchdog has grilled the British government over its human rights record at a packed session in Geneva.

Whitehall sent a dozen civil servants from 10 different departments to defend itself against multiple allegations of abuse from scores of human rights groups.

Their shocking evidence ranged from conditions in prisons and detention centres, to military operations in Iraq and the north of Ireland.

The hearing came as the UN’s committee against torture held its five-year review on Tuesday of Britain’s human rights record.

The charity Redress led the criticism with a forensic report endorsed by 74 civil society organisations.

Redress director Rupert Skilbeck said the report was “sobering” and warned: “Across the UK and in many different areas of governance, incidents of ill-treatment have got worse, not better, since the last UN review in 2013.”

Policing and immigration

Mr Skilbeck said police use of Tasers had risen by 43 per cent over the last five years, and the electrocution devices are three times more likely to be used against black people.

He also noted that 40 per cent of asylum refusals are overturned on appeal and Britain is still the only country in Europe with no time limit on detention.

And the charity highlighted that there could be as many as 1,000 people present in Britain who are linked to war crimes or other violations — but in the last decade there have been only two prosecutions.

‘War on terror’

The lack of accountability for Britain’s involvement in extraordinary renditions and the ill-treatment of detainees in Iraq was also raised.

Redress told the UN: “The UK government has failed to establish an independent judge-led inquiry into allegations of torture overseas.”

The group said there was “strong and credible evidence of UK involvement in the torture and ill-treatment of detainees held by other states in counter-terrorism operations overseas since 2001,” specifically citing the rendition of pregnant women Fatima Boudchar to Muammar Gaddafi’s torture chambers.

Prisons

The Howard League for Penal Reform put the spotlight on prison conditions in Britain, especially at G4S-run Birmingham jail.

The league said inmates at Birmingham prison “have to urinate and defecate in a toilet immediately next to bunks in front of their cell mate.”

The prisoners often spend up to 22 hours a day locked up in overcrowded Victorian-era cells “infested with rats and cockroaches.”

North of Ireland

The Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) submitted evidence about the “disproportionate use” of secret courts to hear cases in the north of Ireland compared to Britain.

The CAJ said: “Such cases generally concern the actions of informants or agents of the state within paramilitary groups.”

The group also urged the UN to “seek assurances from the UK no amnesty will be introduced for the military” over the killing of civilians, including those who died on  Bloody Sunday.

It slammed the Conservatives for claiming that soldiers who served in the north of Ireland were the victims of witch-hunt.

Theresa May had told Parliament twice in 2018 that police legacy investigations were only focusing on the security forces “despite this being flatly contradicted by police figures.”

A government spokeswoman told the Morning Star: “This government is committed to ensuring people in custody are treated fairly and appropriately.”