http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5A33QB20091104?pageNu...

MILAN/ROME (Reuters) - An Italian judge sentenced 23 Americans to up to eight years in prison on Wednesday for the abduction of a Muslim cleric, in a symbolic condemnation of the CIA "rendition" flights used by the former U.S. government.

The Americans were all tried in absentia because the United States refused to extradite them.

The U.S. State Department expressed its disappointment with the verdict, the first of its kind, but campaigners who have long complained that the renditions policy violated basic human rights said the ruling set an important precedent.

"This decision sends a clear message to all governments that even in the fight against terrorism you can't forsake the basic rights of our democracies," said prosecutor Armando Spataro.

Judge Oscar Magi handed down the convictions for the abduction of Egyptian-born cleric Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, snatched off a Milan street in 2003 and flown to Egypt for interrogation.

The heaviest sentence -- eight years in prison -- was handed down to the former head of the CIA's Milan station, Robert Seldon Lady, while 21 other former agents got five years each.

U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Romano was also sentenced to five years, despite a request from the Pentagon that the case should be tried by U.S. courts.

Magi dropped the case against three Americans, including a former CIA Rome station chief, because of diplomatic immunity.

Charges were also dropped against five Italians, including the former head of the Sismi military intelligence service, Nicolo Pollari, because evidence against them violated state secrecy rules.

However, the judge sentenced two more junior Sismi agents to three years in prison as accomplices, indicating Italian authorities were aware of the abduction.

"LIKE A SLAUGHTERED SHEEP"

The judge ruled that those convicted should pay 1 million euros in damages to Nasr, better known as Abu Omar, and 500,000 euros to his wife.

Abu Omar, under surveillance by Italian police at the time of his abduction on suspicion of recruiting militants for Iraq, was secretly flown from Aviano airbase in northeast Italy via Ramstein base in Germany to Egypt, where he says he was tortured and held until 2007 without charge.

"I was hung up like a slaughtered sheep and given electric shocks," Abu Omar has told Human Rights Watch.

It is the first case to contest the practice of "extraordinary rendition" under the administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush, in which terrorism suspects were captured in one country and taken for questioning in another, where interrogation techniques were tougher.

The trial, which began in 2007, tested U.S.-Italian relations. It moved slowly because successive Italian governments, including Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's conservative administration, refused to seek the extradition of the U.S. defendants.

"This is clearly a historic verdict," said Judith Sunderland of Human Rights Watch. "It is a real testament to the tenacity of the Milan prosecutors' office that this case went forward."

Washington, which has never acknowledged any rendition flights from Italy, is still debating the harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects in U.S. custody and whether to prosecute the officials responsible.

"The United States shouldn't need a foreign court to distinguish right from wrong," Amnesty International said.

"The Obama administration must repudiate the unlawful practice of extraordinary rendition -- and hold accountable those responsible for having put the system in place -- or his administration will end up as tarnished as his predecessor's."

Italy's Il Giornale newspaper, owned by Berlusconi's family, quoted Lady as saying in June: "Of course it was an illegal operation. But that's our job. We're at war against terrorism."

Views: 48

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

It's not just Mussolini eer I mean Berlusconi pretending he's got a grip is it?

RSS

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Memorial Weekend Getaway Horror Story
"Less Prone thanks for your support Buddy! "
6 hours ago
Doc Vega replied to cheeki kea's discussion Would-Be Trump Assassin Ryan Routh Gave Many Interviews with Mainstream Media
"cheeki kea, I really appreciate the reporting of Sky News. I think they've done a great…"
6 hours ago
Doc Vega posted a blog post

When

 Sad blue eyed poet rehearses his craftJust took a salvo in the compartment aftHis chances of…See More
7 hours ago
cheeki kea replied to cheeki kea's discussion Would-Be Trump Assassin Ryan Routh Gave Many Interviews with Mainstream Media
"You're damn right there Doc V. but we may never know exactly where all the funding came from…"
11 hours ago
cheeki kea commented on tjdavis's photo
Thumbnail

Me-Again

"Oh Look a new version of Megan, can't say the old version looked to flash either. Seems like…"
15 hours ago
Doc Vega replied to cheeki kea's discussion Would-Be Trump Assassin Ryan Routh Gave Many Interviews with Mainstream Media
"This asshole had an incredible number of overseas connections and incoming money from unnamed…"
Wednesday
rlionhearted_3 posted photos
Wednesday
cheeki kea replied to cheeki kea's discussion Tartaria
"It's been interesting reading the comments from the Hungarian Tartaria fans on social media…"
Tuesday
Burbia's blog post was featured

James Comey appears to call for the assassination of President Trump

I'm sure these are the kind of shells Comey is implying here. …See More
Tuesday
tjdavis's blog post was featured
Tuesday
cheeki kea's 2 blog posts were featured
Tuesday
Doc Vega's 5 blog posts were featured
Tuesday
Less Prone commented on Doc Vega's blog post Memorial Weekend Getaway Horror Story
"A nice story"
Tuesday
Less Prone favorited Doc Vega's blog post Memorial Weekend Getaway Horror Story
Tuesday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Memorial Weekend Getaway Horror Story

The wife and I had been trying to find some vacation time together for weeks when finally Memorial…See More
Monday
cheeki kea commented on cheeki kea's photo
Sunday
cheeki kea posted a photo
Sunday
tjdavis posted a video
Sunday
Doc Vega commented on Burbia's blog post James Comey appears to call for the assassination of President Trump
"Goes to show what ruthless bastards we have in the federal government!"
May 24
Doc Vega favorited Burbia's blog post James Comey appears to call for the assassination of President Trump
May 24

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted