This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/world/europe/britain-libya-abdel-hakim-belhaj-rendition.html

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Libyan’s Rendition Case Can Move Forward, British Supreme Court Rules Libyan’s Rendition Case Against Britain Can Proceed, Court Rules
(about 1 hour later)
LONDON — A Libyan dissident who claims he was abducted and tortured by American and British intelligence agents can sue the British government and a former foreign secretary over his rendition, Britain’s Supreme Court said on Tuesday.LONDON — A Libyan dissident who claims he was abducted and tortured by American and British intelligence agents can sue the British government and a former foreign secretary over his rendition, Britain’s Supreme Court said on Tuesday.
The court’s decision overturned a High Court ruling that said the dissident, Abdel Hakim Belhaj, could not seek damages from the government, the spy agencies MI5 and MI6, or Jack Straw, the former foreign secretary. That court said Mr. Belhaj did not have standing to sue because the case involved other countries and could damage Britain’s relations with the United States.The court’s decision overturned a High Court ruling that said the dissident, Abdel Hakim Belhaj, could not seek damages from the government, the spy agencies MI5 and MI6, or Jack Straw, the former foreign secretary. That court said Mr. Belhaj did not have standing to sue because the case involved other countries and could damage Britain’s relations with the United States.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court said it “unanimously dismisses the government’s appeals,” and that Mr. Belhaj’s case could go to trial.On Tuesday, the Supreme Court said it “unanimously dismisses the government’s appeals,” and that Mr. Belhaj’s case could go to trial.
Mr. Belhaj was the leader of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, a terrorist organization, according to the United States, when, he said, he and his pregnant wife, Fatima Bouchar, were abducted in 2004 in Bangkok. He was tortured for several days by two people he claims were C.I.A. agents. He was then returned to Libya, where he was thrown into solitary confinement for six years, three of them without a shower, one without a glimpse of the sun, he said. His child would turn 6 before Mr. Belhaj saw him for the first time.Mr. Belhaj was the leader of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, a terrorist organization, according to the United States, when, he said, he and his pregnant wife, Fatima Bouchar, were abducted in 2004 in Bangkok. He was tortured for several days by two people he claims were C.I.A. agents. He was then returned to Libya, where he was thrown into solitary confinement for six years, three of them without a shower, one without a glimpse of the sun, he said. His child would turn 6 before Mr. Belhaj saw him for the first time.
Mr. Belhaj said he was detained in China before being transferred to Malaysia and then Thailand. There, he said, he was handed over to the C.I.A., which acted on information from MI6, the British foreign intelligence service, according to Libyan government files discovered after the fall of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in 2010.Mr. Belhaj said he was detained in China before being transferred to Malaysia and then Thailand. There, he said, he was handed over to the C.I.A., which acted on information from MI6, the British foreign intelligence service, according to Libyan government files discovered after the fall of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in 2010.
In 2011, Mr. Belhaj was named head of the military committee responsible for keeping order in Tripoli, the capital of Libya. At the time, he described himself as a grateful ally of the United States and NATO who bore no hard feelings over his previous treatment.In 2011, Mr. Belhaj was named head of the military committee responsible for keeping order in Tripoli, the capital of Libya. At the time, he described himself as a grateful ally of the United States and NATO who bore no hard feelings over his previous treatment.
He has said he would drop the case if the British authorities apologized.He has said he would drop the case if the British authorities apologized.
“Years ago I asked the British government to apologize for what it had done,” Mr. Belhaj said in a statement on Tuesday. “I have always said I was prepared to forgive, but that first Britain needed to accept that to abduct me and my wife and send us to Qaddafi is, and always was, wrong. The government refused this basic plea for justice. So I am gratified that we will have a trial. We have been waiting for justice for years. I continue to hope justice will one day be done, not just for my family, but in the name of everyone wrongly kidnapped in the war on terror.”“Years ago I asked the British government to apologize for what it had done,” Mr. Belhaj said in a statement on Tuesday. “I have always said I was prepared to forgive, but that first Britain needed to accept that to abduct me and my wife and send us to Qaddafi is, and always was, wrong. The government refused this basic plea for justice. So I am gratified that we will have a trial. We have been waiting for justice for years. I continue to hope justice will one day be done, not just for my family, but in the name of everyone wrongly kidnapped in the war on terror.”
Ms. Bouchar said that because of her stay in a C.I.A. prison, her son was born weighing only four pounds.Ms. Bouchar said that because of her stay in a C.I.A. prison, her son was born weighing only four pounds.
The couple’s lawyer, Sapna Malik, said, “We hope that the defendants in this action now see fit to apologize to our clients and acknowledge the wrongs done, so that they may turn the page on this wretched chapter of their lives and move on.”The couple’s lawyer, Sapna Malik, said, “We hope that the defendants in this action now see fit to apologize to our clients and acknowledge the wrongs done, so that they may turn the page on this wretched chapter of their lives and move on.”
Mr. Straw, who was foreign secretary under former Prime Minister Tony Blair, said he acted in line with British and international law. “I was never in any way complicit in the unlawful rendition or detention of anyone by other states,” he said in a statement.Mr. Straw, who was foreign secretary under former Prime Minister Tony Blair, said he acted in line with British and international law. “I was never in any way complicit in the unlawful rendition or detention of anyone by other states,” he said in a statement.