16 October 2004	Saturday	01 Ramazan 1425

LONDON, Oct 15: Britain has sacked its ambassador to Uzbekistan after he accused the Central Asian state of supplying the West with bogus security information obtained through torture.

Craig Murray said he was removed for speaking out about human rights violations in the authoritarian country that has become a key ally of the United States in its "war on terror", and that he was taking legal action against the government over health problems sustained during his service.

Britain withdrew Mr Murray, 45, after a memo was leaked in which he said Uzbekistan was torturing prisoners and passing their bogus confessions to the West to win military aid.

In the memo, Mr Murray told his London bosses that Britain had sacrificed its moral standing by accepting the material. "The aim is to convince the West that the Uzbeks are a vital cog against a common foe," Mr Murray wrote.

The Foreign Office in London said it had withdrawn Murray From Tashkent for "operational reasons" and he would be relocated. Mr Murray said his removal represented the politicization of Britain's supposedly neutral civil service.

"This sends a very strong signal that since start of the war on terrorism, anyone who even internally questions what is happening...is going to seriously damage their employment prospects," he told BBC radio.

The Foreign Office says Britain never uses torture itself to get information, but that it would be irresponsible to rule out counter terrorism intelligence obtained by other countries abroad if the information helps protect Britons.

Uzbekistan, which denies it uses systematic torture, has fought guerillas and says it is the victim of extremists linked to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda group. Mr Murray was more outspoken than other Western envoys on Uzbekistan's rights record, but international concern has grown.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) cut back lending to the country in April, citing concerns over human rights and the banning of opposition political parties.

Human rights groups backed Mr Murray. "We would be extremely alarmed if his removal had anything to do with his criticism of human rights violations," said Amnesty International UK.

Regional experts said Mr Murray's comments against torture were laudable but undiplomatic. "If, by speaking out, an ambassador is unable to converse at a high level in the place where he is ambassador, his position becomes very difficult," said James Nixey of London's Royal Institute of International Affairs.

Mr Murray says he has suffered a nervous breakdown since as a result of the tension with the Foreign Office. "My career has suffered and my health unfortunately has suffered very badly, largely due to the stress brought on by the unfounded charges against me - and I have every intention of fighting that legally as hard as I can," he told BBC radio. -Reuters