Judge dismisses Masri torture case

[Judi Lynn]

Judge dismisses Masri torture case
12 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit against former CIA Director George Tenet by a German of Lebanese origin who says he was abducted and tortured by the American spy agency.

U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis agreed with government arguments that moving forward with the case of Khaled el-Masri would risk national security by exposing state secrets about CIA activities vital to the U.S. war on terrorism.

"While dismissal of the complaint deprives el-Masri of an American judicial forum for vindicating his claims .... el-Masri's private interests must give way to the national interest in preserving state secrets," Ellis wrote in a 17-page ruling.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060518/ts_nm/security_usa_masri_dc;_ylt=A0SOwlrZ3GxEYFQBwhJZ.3QA;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

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Earlier story, from May 12:

US urges judge to dismiss German's CIA abduction claim (Roundup)
By Tony Czuczka May 12, 2006, 20:11 GMT

Washington - The US government urged a judge Friday to dismiss a German citizen's lawsuit that claims he was kidnapped, imprisoned and tortured by the CIA because the US mistakenly believed he was a terror suspect.

The lawsuit by Lebanese-born Khaled El-Masri charges former CIA director George Tenet and three US-based aviation companies with breaking US and international law, drawing attention to highly disputed US practices in the fight against terrorism.

At a hearing Friday, the US government asked District Judge Thomas S. Ellis III to throw out the case, arguing that a trial would risk exposing state secrets. Ellis said he would rule soon on whether the case should go ahead.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a human rights group representing El-Masri, called the government's secrecy argument 'very dubious' because his allegations have been widely reported.

'That argument adds insult to injury,' ACLU lawyer Ben Wizner, who argued El-Masri's case at Friday's hearing, told reporters in a conference call after the hearing in Alexandria, Virginia.
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© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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