JURIST - Paper Chase: Rights group suing UK over rendition of suspected terrorist

[JURIST] Human rights group Reprieve [advocacy website] announced Tuesday that it is suing the British government [filing letter, PDF; press release] over the rendition of Mohammed Saad Iqbal Madni [advocacy profile] from Indonesia to Egypt, where it says he was tortured. The group alleges that the UK allowed the US rendition flight of Madni to stop on the British island territory of Diego Garcia [GlobalSecurity backgrounder], despite government claims that the island was not part of the US's rendition program [JURIST news archive]. Reprieve seeks disclosure from both the UK and Diego Garcia governments of all information on Madni's treatment and Deigo Garcia's involvement in US renditions of terrorism suspects. It said the information was necessary for Madni to seek monetary damages from the government for what Reprieve said was the UK's complicity in his abuse.

After being held in Egypt, Madni was transferred to Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] and held there until September 2008 when he was released back to his home country of Pakistan. Shortly after his release, Pakistani Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani [official profile] sought the release [JURIST report] of all Pakistani detainees held at the base, so that the country's courts could handle the detainees. Later that month, a Pakistani delegation was denied access [JURIST report] to detainees held at Guantanamo. Madni does not face any charges in the US or Pakistan.