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Judge asks media whether to release Guantanamo Bay 'torture' evidence

By John Hirst

Judge asks media whether to release Guantanamo Bay 'torture' evidence

A High Court judge has invited the media for advice about publishing legal evidence in a case concerning a British terror suspect held at Guantanamo Bay

Binyam Mohamed, 30, an Ethiopian national and British resident, was held in Pakistan in 2002, when he was questioned by an MI5 officer.

He was later secretly rendered to Morocco, where he says he was tortured by having his penis cut with a razor blade. The US subsequently flew him to Afghanistan and he was transferred to Guantanamo Bay in September 2004.

Charges against Mohamed, including that he was involved in a "dirty bomb" plot, have been dropped, but the US authorities are now considering further charges.

Mr Mohamed wants access to documents held by the British Government he believes support his claim that he was subjected to extraordinary rendition and ill-treatment.

"It is believed to be legally unprecedented. All media submissions must be received this month". It may be the first time that a judge has asked the media for submissions, however, in the case I took to court which granted prisoners rights of phone access to the media, the judge relied heavily upon the statements of those in the media such as Jonathan Dimbleby and Simon Israel.

Full post as published by prisonlawinsideout on November 08, 2008 (boomark / email).