Khaled el-Masri, a German national of Lebanese descent, had his claims against the CIA thrown out of American courts. According to Masri, he was on vacation in Macedonia when he was abducted by Macedonian officials and taken to Afghanistan where he was placed under scrutiny of CIA officials who tortured and beat him even after he was discovered to be innocent of any wrongdoing. He says that he was flown to Albania where he was dumped on the side of the road by CIA agents.
German Parliament, having little-to-no diplomatic sway on the United States, vocally supports Masri, but cannot do anything to pursue charges against the CIA. Masri was in illegal custody for several months, something that drew the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union, which handled Masri’s case. But even the ACLU has abandoned hope for further prosecution.
The case was not thrown out based on lack of evidence. In fact, the case was thrown out because the only way to link anyone with Masri’s arrest and alleged torture is to reveal major points of the CIA’s structure and name the operatives involved. This would result in catastrophe for the CIA, and the court decided that the safety of CIA protocol was more important than the suffering of a single foreign national.
What a world we have come to where the pain and suffering of a man is swallowed by the covert needs of the masses. This country was founded on the principles of individual liberties, and crimes by government officials against any man or woman of any nationality - foreign or American - should never be dismissed for any reason by anyone. Let us all take a minute to reflect on the emotional future of the abused man, a man who must have thought at some point he would die simply for being a Lebanese German in Macedonia.
Middle East, Europe, United States, Afghanistan, CIA, Lawsuits, Macedonia, Germany, Lebanon
