Robert Jenrick doubles down on accusation SAS kill not capture terrorists due to ECHR

Robert Jenrick has reaffirmed his claims that the SAS is being pushed to eliminate terrorists instead of capturing them due to concerns that the "European Court will release them."

Mr. Jenrick, a leading candidate to potentially succeed Rishi Sunak, shared a video on Monday in which he stated that the UK "needs to withdraw from the ECHR," referring to the European Court of Human Rights.

In reference to a piece by former defense secretary Ben Wallace, Mr. Jenrick remarked, "Our special forces are eliminating terrorists instead of apprehending them because our legal advisors inform us that if these individuals are captured, the European Court will likely release them."

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Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly, who are also competing for the leadership position, have strongly criticized the accusation.

During his address at the Conservative Party conference on Tuesday, Mr. Jenrick reaffirmed his stance, stating that he genuinely meant his remarks.

"I believe that our human rights framework shouldn't hinder us from making the important operational choices that ensure our national security and safeguard the lives of the courageous individuals in our special forces," he expressed to the Conservative members.

Mr. Tugendhat, a former army member and security minister until the election, stated to Sky News that Mr. Jenrick's remarks were "incorrect" and reflected a "basic misunderstanding of military operations and the principles of unarmed conflict."

He expressed to Sky News, "I am very worried that statements like this might be interpreted as a call to action, except for individuals simply handing themselves over to British troops when requested."

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Mr. Cleverly, who has served as both foreign and home secretary, stated that he had never encountered that allegation before. He asserted, "Our military does not engage in murder," and mentioned that he felt uneasy about reiterating the claim.

He mentioned to Sky News, "If Robert can explain that, I believe he should. The British military consistently follows international humanitarian law and the laws governing armed conflict."

"Our armed forces are among the most skilled and experienced globally. Our military does not engage in acts of violence against individuals."

Check out more: Jenrick is closely trailing Kemi Badenoch, according to recent polls. Insight: The Conservative Party conference is essentially a showcase for the party.

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Mr. Jenrick's team mentioned to Sky News that the interview Mr. Wallace gave to the Telegraph in September 2023 "is clear on its own."

In a piece titled "Human rights laws are shielding terrorists," Mr. Wallace stated that international agreements, like the European Convention on Human Rights, compel defense secretaries to make a difficult decision: either eliminate individuals, often through drone strikes, or allow them to persist in their plans.

He mentioned that the UK frequently finds itself "compelled to take lethal measures" because of the "madness of being unable to extradite individuals or apprehend them in nations where the police are deemed unreliable."

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Mr. Wallace didn’t explicitly state that the European Court would release terrorists if they were apprehended, but he raised concerns about rendition treaties. He pointed out that international law prevents operations that would involve the unlawful transfer of a suspect from another country to the UK.

He mentioned that he handled "similar situations" during his time as defense secretary.