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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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March 2nd,
2007 - Appeals Court Dismisses CIA Torture Lawsuit |
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Appeals Court Dismisses
CIA Torture Lawsuit By
James Vicini Reuters March
2, 2007 4:43 PM ET Washington - A U.S. appeals
court on Friday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit against former CIA Director
George Tenet and 10 CIA employees by a German who says he was kidnapped and
tortured by the U.S. spy agency about three years ago. A unanimous three-judge
panel of the appeals court based in Richmond, Virginia, agreed with U.S.
government arguments that moving forward with the lawsuit by Khaled el-Masri,
a German of Lebanese origin, would pose a risk of exposing state secrets. The appeals court upheld a
federal judge's ruling that dismissed the lawsuit that seeks at least $75,000
in damages. The case has drawn worldwide
attention to the U.S. "extraordinary rendition" policy in which
terrorism suspects have been sent from one foreign country to another for
interrogation. Masri's case sparked outrage
in Germany and prompted a parliamentary inquiry to find out what authorities
might have known about U.S. renditions. Masri said he was abducted
by Macedonian authorities on December 31, 2003, while on vacation. He said he
was held prisoner in a Skopje hotel room for 23 days and beaten, stripped and
mistreated. He said he was then taken by
members of a CIA team and flown to Afghanistan, where he was held as a
terrorism suspect for five months. Masri said he was held in solitary
confinement and deprived of sleep. Masri said he was flown to
Albania on May 28, 2004, and dumped on the side of a road in the middle of
the night. Masri said the CIA knew soon
after his arrival in Afghanistan that he was innocent, but he was still held
until the end of May. The defendants in the
lawsuit included Tenet, 10 unnamed CIA employees, 10 employees of three
private companies, and the companies, which Masri said owned the airplanes
used to transport him. The appeals court said if
the lawsuit were to go forward, it would involve the roles played by the
defendants in the operation. It threatens to expose
"how the CIA organizes, staffs and supervises its most sensitive
intelligence operations," it said. "With regard to
Director Tenet, for example, Masri would be obliged to show in detail how the
head of the CIA participates in such operations and how information
concerning their progress is related to him," the appeals court said. The American Civil Liberties
Union, which represented Masri, expressed disappointment at the ruling and
said it will consider appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court. "Regrettably, today's
decision allows CIA officials to disregard the law with impunity by making it
virtually impossible to challenge their actions in court," ACLU
Executive Director Anthony Romero said. © Reuters 2007. All rights
reserved. External link: http://tinyurl.com/2df9o9 |