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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
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August 21st,
2008 - UK Guantanamo Inmate Wins Ruling |
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UK Guantanamo Inmate Wins Ruling From BBC News August 21, 2008 A UK resident detained at
Guantanamo Bay has won a High Court ruling that the government should
disclose material which he says backs his torture claims. Binyam Mohamed, who is
facing terrorism charges, says the documents support his case that the
evidence against him has been obtained through torture. Mr Mohamed, 30, has been
held at the US military prison in Cuba for four years. The judges said the
information relating to him was "not only necessary but essential for
his defence". Mr Mohamed has been represented
by the legal charity Reprieve while in Guantanamo Bay. Reprieve director, Clive
Stafford Smith, said the ruling was "a momentous decision". The United States accuses Mr
Mohamed of conspiring with al-Qaeda leaders to plan terror attacks on civilians. He is facing a military
trial in the US and could even be given the death penalty if he is found
guilty. His legal team is seeking
the disclosure of material that he says will help defend the charges he
faces. Mr Mohamed moved to the UK
as a refugee from Ethiopia when he was 15 and was arrested in April 2002 in
Pakistan. He claims to have spent 18
months in Morocco, where he says he was tortured, before being flown to an
alleged CIA-run site in Afghanistan and then later transferred to Guantanamo. Mr Mohamed, who previously
lived in west London, alleges his charges are based on confessions extracted
by torture and ill-treatment. Lord Justice Thomas and Mr
Justice Lloyd Jones were told in a previous hearing that the US authorities
have denied subjecting Mr Mohamed to extraordinary rendition or torture. Richard Stein, of solicitors
Leigh Day & Co, who represent Mr Mohamed, said the judgement
"reflects the abhorrence of decent society at the methods employed by
the United States government in the supposed 'war on terror'. "We can only hope that
the foreign secretary will now reflect on this judgment and provide direct
assistance to Binyam's defence team." Mr Stafford Smith added:
"Compelling the British government to release information that can prove
Mr Mohamed's innocence is one obvious step towards making up for the years of
torture that he has suffered. "The next step is for
the British government to demand an end to the charade against him in
Guantanamo Bay, and return him home to Britain." External link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7574284.stm |