German man files torture case against CIA

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A German man filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming he was held captive and tortured by U.S. government agents after being mistakenly identified as an associate of the September 11 hijackers.


http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/06/cia.rendition.ap/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/06/cia.rendition.ap/index.html

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A German man filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming he was held captive and tortured by U.S. government agents after being mistakenly identified as an associate of the September 11 hijackers.

Khaled el-Masri, who is being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, said he was arrested while attempting to enter Macedonia for a holiday trip and flown to Afghanistan. During five months in captivity he was subjected to "torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment," says a lawsuit he filed in U.S. District Court in suburban Alexandria, Virginia.

The suit names as the main defendant former CIA Director George Tenet. In addition to torture, he claims his due process rights were violated and that he was subjected to "prolonged, arbitrary detention." He is seeking damages of at least $75,000.

"I am asking the American government to admit its mistakes and to apologize for my treatment," el-Masri said in a statement. "Throughout my time in the prison, I asked to be brought before a court but was refused. Now I am hoping that an American court will say very clearly that what happened to me was illegal and cannot be done to others."

him I'm sure.

and if they'd disappeared him who knows what would've come out from inside the CIA itself to damage the US' rendition policies.

against US assets in Germany. I think he'd have better luck of success and might come out with a larger financial reward, which he deserves.

Do you know if German law allows for that?

CIA, Companies Accused of Illegally Abducting German (Update1)

Dec. 6 (Bloomberg) -- The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit accusing the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and three companies of illegally abducting a German citizen and subjecting him to torture in a secret overseas prison.

The suit, filed today in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, claims Khaled El-Masri, 42, was a victim of the CIA's policy of ``rendition,'' ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero said at a press conference in Washington.

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The suit charges that former CIA Director George Tenet and other agency officials violated U.S. and international laws when they authorized agents to kidnap El-Masri on Dec. 31, 2003. CIA spokesman Tom Crisbol declined to comment.

The suit also says Dedham, Massachusetts-based Premier Executive Transport Services Inc.; Reno, Nevada-based Keeler and Tate Management LLC; and Johnson Country Airport, North Carolina- based Aero Contractors Ltd. are legally responsible for assisting in the violation of El-Masri's civil and human rights.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aqY5RMOCoXjE&refer=us