German man files torture case against CIA
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A German man alleged in a lawsuit Tuesday that the CIA held him captive and tortured him in Afghanistan last year after the spy agency mistakenly identified him as an associate of the September 11 hijackers.
In the latest controversy surrounding the CIA's "rendition" program in the war on terror, Khaled al-Masri said he was taken into custody while attempting to enter Macedonia on New Year's Eve 2003 and flown to Afghanistan.
During five months in captivity, he was subjected to "torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment," says his lawsuit in U.S. District Court in suburban Alexandria, Virginia. The American Civil Liberties Union is representing him. (View al-Masri's description of his treatment -- 2:31)
At an ACLU news conference in Washington, al-Masri's lawyer revealed that U.S. authorities on Saturday night refused to let al-Masri into the country. Al-Masri spoke by video hookup from Germany, telling reporters that in Afghanistan, one of his interrogators told him, "You might be buried here." ( Watch as his lawyer discusses the case -- 2:18)
In Berlin, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice refused later to discuss the case with reporters.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the U.S. has acknowledged making a mistake in the man's arrest. (Full Story)
"I'm happy to say we have discussed the one case, which the government of the United States has of course accepted as a mistake," Merkel said after meeting with Rice.
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," al-Masri said in a written 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."
The CIA rendition program, in which terror suspects are captured and taken to foreign countries for interrogation, has been heavily criticized by human rights groups.
The scope of the program has not been disclosed by the CIA. However, Amnesty International claimed Monday that six planes used by the CIA for renditions have made some 800 flights in or out of European airspace, including 50 landings at Shannon International Airport in Ireland.
Al-Masri, 42, was born in Kuwait to Lebanese parents and moved to Germany in 1985. The married father of five said that on New Year's Eve 2003 he boarded a bus in his hometown of Neu-Ulm for a holiday in Macedonia. At the border he was stopped by Macedonian authorities and his passport was confiscated.
He said he was detained by local authorities for 23 days and then handed over to what he believes was a team of CIA operatives. He then was flown to Afghanistan where he was subjected to abuse during four months in captivity.
In late May 2004 he was flown to Albania and then put on a plane back to Germany.
El alemán Khaled al-Masri demandó a George Tenet, antiguo director de la CIA y a otros oficiales por supuesta tortura mientras fue mantenido prisionero durante cinco meses en Afganistán en 2004. Masri fue arrestado en Macedonia en relación con los ataques del 11 de septiembre y enviado a Afganistán para ser interrogado.

Masri afirma que su celda en Afghanistan era fría y sucia, estaba ubicada en un granero, sin luz y que sólo disponía de una cobija sucia para calentarse. La primera noche él afirma haber recibido golpes y patadas de parte de su interrogador, quien le dijo: ''"Estás en un país en donde nadie conoce tu paradero, en un país sin ley. Si mueres, te enterramos y nadie se enterará".''

En Estados Unidos, Masri es representado por la Unión estadounidense de derechos civiles (ACLU) en su querella iniciada el martes en Alexandria, estado de Virginia, en la que solicita hasta US$75.000 por daños. El acusado principal será George Tenet, quien anteriormente trabajó para la CIA a nivel de dirección.

La Secretaria de Estado estadounidense Condoleezza Rice estuvo de visita en Alemania pero no habló con los periodistas sobre este caso. Por su parte, la nueva Canciller de Alemania Angela Merkel afirmó: "''Estoy contenta al afirmar que se discutió el caso particular, y que el gobierno de los Estados Unidos por supuesto aceptó que había sido un error...''".

Posteriormente un miembro del personal que acompañó a Condoleezza Rice hacia Rumania afirmó que ella no había admitido errores en el tratamiento de Masri. Al referirse a Merkel dijo: ''"No sabemos exactamente a que se refería"''.