Fergie's Tech Blog

U.S. 'State Secrets' Case May Get Airing - UPDATE [2]

David G. Savage writes in The Los Angeles Times:

The Supreme Court is set to decide as early as Tuesday whether the government can invoke the doctrine of "state secrets" to quash a legal claim that CIA bungling resulted in a man being abducted, imprisoned and tortured.

After five months of such treatment, CIA agents apparently realized that the man in custody, Khaled el-Masri, a German citizen of Lebanese descent, was not the wanted terrorist Khalid al-Masri.

The case has attracted wide public attention in Europe, but El-Masri has been unable to gain a court hearing in the United States because the government has so far successfully invoked the argument that it cannot be taken to court when doing so might expose state secrets.

More here.

UPDATE: 12:00 PDT: Apparently, this issue is also getting visibility in the UK. Details here.

UPDATE [2]: 10:31 PDT, 8 October 2007: Unfortunately it appears that Mr. El-Masri will not get his day in court.

posted by Fergie @ 10/08/2007 11:46:00 AM