Christian campaigners arrested after Diego Garcia protest

British Quakers have expressed their support to the concerns of the two human rights campaigners arrested off Diego Garcia after protesting about the island's use in British and US military operations. The men, Jon Castle, a Quaker from Devon, and Peter Bouquet, said they were motivated by the Quaker ideal that: "you should bear witness to a crime, even if you cannot stop it happening." They had sailed their boat, the Musichana, over 2000 miles to carry out their protest. Foreign Secretary David Milliband admitted in February that the island had been used as a stopping point for the extraordinary rendition of two detainees. Gillian Ashmore, Chief Executive Officer for the Quakers, said: "People matter. In the end human rights are about people being treated like people who matter. Quakers are concerned about abuses of power and acts which may amount to torture. Our Yearly Meeting has called on government to do all in its power to prevent the use of all forms of torture. We support the calls by British MPs and human rights groups for an independent inquiry into the use of Diego Garcia by the CIA."