A former Guantánamo Bay detainee announced April 15 that he is suing members of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's regime over allegations that he was tortured by the government while in Egyptian custody. Mamdouh Habib, an Australian citizen, was arrested in Pakistan in 2001 following the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the US. He was released from Guantánamo in 2005 without charges being filed against him, after being held at the detention facility for three years. Habib claims that he was tortured and beaten after being taken to Egypt as part of the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" program. He claims Egypt's former vice-president Omar Suleiman and Mubarak's son Gamal supervised the torture, and indicated that he is seeking compensation and that he hopes those responsible will be imprisoned.

Habib also indicated that he is hoping to reopen a civil case against the Australian government alleging their complicity in his torture in Egypt. He settled a civil case against the Australian government last year, but new evidence provided by witnesses in Egypt and Pakistan may further implicate Australian officials in his torture. Habib previously claimed that he was tortured while at the Guantánamo facility, although a US military probe found no evidence to support the allegations.

Several other Guantánamo detainees have also filed lawsuits alleging torture. In October, former Guantánamo detainee Abdul Rahim Abdul Razak al-Ginco filed a lawsuit against the US military alleging that he was subjected to torture. The suit names 26 current or former members of the military who are allegedly responsible for the tortuous acts, such as urinating on Ginco, slapping him, threatening him with loss of fingernails, sleep deprivation, extreme cold and stress positions. Last April, former Guantánamo Bay detainee Adel Hassan Hamad filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington against the US government and more than a dozen government officials, claiming he was tortured.

From Jurist, April 15. Used with permission.

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