A Libyan military commander filed a lawsuit April 17 against former UK Justice Minister Jack Straw alleging that the minister was instrumental in his illegal rendition to Libya, where he was tortured under the regime of Moammar Qaddafi. Abdel Hakim Belhadj and his wife were transferred to Libya in 2004 as prisoners and were allegedly tortured at the hands of former Qaddafi officials. The lawsuit was launched in response to an April 15 Sunday Times report alleging documentation of Straw’s involvement in the transfer of prisoners to Libya for torture. Papers served on Straw request access to documents from 2004 to 2010, including the documents referenced in the recent news article. Belhadj’s lawyers maintain that his primary purpose is to seek an apology from the responsible parties.
From Jurist, April 18. Used with permission.
See our last posts on Libya, the Maghreb, the Arab revolutions, and the torture and detention scandals.
