US top court hears Guantanamo detainee's 'state secrets' case
The United States Supreme Court has begun hearing the case of a Guantanamo detainee seeking to compel two CIA contractors to testify about the alleged torture he was subjected to at an agency “black site” in Poland.
The country’s top court heard oral arguments on Wednesday in the case of Abu Zubaydah, who has been held at the infamous US-run prison camp in Cuba since 2006, with three of the nine justices asking why he cannot speak for himself.
“Why not make the witness available? What is the government’s objection to the witness testifying on his own treatment and not requiring any addition from the government of any kind?” Justice Neil Gorsuch asked.
Zubaydah’s lawyers have filed a complaint against Poland in Polish and European courts for its role in the harsh treatment he received from the CIA while detained in the country.
As part of the case, Zubaydah is seeking testimonies from James Elmer Mitchell and John Jessen, known as the architects of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation programme.
The US government is blocking the request, arguing that questioning Mitchell and Jessen would reveal “state secrets”. After legal battles in the lower courts, the case has made it to the Supreme Court.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/6/us-top-court-hears-guantanamo-detainee-state-secrets-case
