European court to hear CIA rendition case
Khaled el-Masri is suing Macedonia for allegedly collaborating with US intelligence in his abduction seven years ago.
The European Court of Human Rights is due to hear a case that involves the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) use of extraordinary rendition.
Khaled el-Masri, a German citizen of Lebanese descent, says he was abducted in Macedonia seven years ago after being mistaken for a “terrorist” and transferred to a secret prison in Afghanistan.
Once the CIA realised it was a case of mistaken identity, el-Masri was blindfolded and taken to Frankfurt where he was released without charge.
El-Masri said the Balkan country violated the European Convention on Human Rights by torturing him, denying his rights to freedom and privacy, and refusing to adequately investigate his claims.
He has also launched cases in Germany, Macedonia and Spain, as well as the US, but this is the first time Europe’s highest court for human rights will hear all of his claims.
Al Jazeera’s Caroline Malone reports.