Gran Bretana ’’no avala’’ la tortura, pero la facilita a Estados Unidos / England "does not accept" the torture, but, facilitates it to the United States

Entregó a la CIA a etiope para interrogatorios ; fue llevado a Rabat, Kabul y Guantánamo.

Por Colin Brown
The Indepedent. Londres, Lunes 12 de diciembre de 2005

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Parlamentarios británicos presentarán este lunes ante el ministro del exterior, Jack Straw, acusaciones de que el MI6 -el cuerpo británico de inteligencia- entregó a la CIA estadunidense a un ex estudiante residente en Londres para que fuera sometido a "declaración extraordinaria" y torturado.

Benyam Mohammed al-Habashi, de 27 años de edad, hizo ante abogados un horroroso y gráfico relato de abusos, privación de sueño y tortura. Habashi, etiope que había pedido asilo a Gran Bretaña, afirmó que fue entregado a la CIA por oficiales del MI6 que lo detuvieron en Pakistán cuando trataba de abordar un vuelo hacia Karachi con pasaporte falso.

El ex estudiante narró que fue llevado a centros de detención de la agencia y sometido a tortura sistemática por estadunidenses que lo acusaron de ser parte de un complot para detonar una bomba sucia nuclear en Estados Unidos. Refirió que fue sometido a interrogatorios durante 18 meses en una prisión de Marruecos, y que le cortaron el pene con un escalpelo. También aseguró que estuvo encadenado días a un muro, sujetado con cadenas al piso en una celda totalmente oscura en Kabul, y convertido en adicto a la heroína.

Su abogado, Clive Stafford Smith, cree que podría ser el primer residente británico en haber sido víctima de torturas por Estados Unidos. "No hay duda -asevera- de que Benyam fue entregado y torturado en la forma más bárbara y salvaje."

Actualmente Habashi está sometido a juicio ante un consejo de guerra en Bahía de Guantánamo y podría ser condenado a cadena perpetua, pero no se ha fijado fecha para la audiencia. Straw y otros ministros han recibido seguridades de los servicios de inteligencia británica de que no avalan ni propician la tortura de prisioneros. La semana pasada la judicatura decretó que la evidencia obtenida mediante tortura es inadmisible en tribunales británicos.

Miembros del Comité de Asuntos Exteriores de la Cámara de los Comunes que investigan informes sobre más de 400 vuelos de aviones de la CIA que han entrado o salido del Reino Unido presentarán el caso a Straw este lunes. "Es necesario investigar este asunto y lo plantearemos", indicó un miembro laborista del comité.

Habashi, residente de Notting Hill, en Londres, fue detenido en el aeropuerto cuando se dirigía a la capital inglesa el 10 de abril de 2002 ; lo detectaron cuando usaba un pasaporte que, según dice, un amigo le prestó "para viajar". Oficiales británicos de inteligencia, al parecer del MI6, recibieron autorización de visitarlo en prisión en Pakistán.

El prisionero relató a su abogado que lo llevaron a un campo aéreo militar y lo entregaron a los estadunidenses, quienes lo trasladaron a Rabat, Marruecos, el 22 de julio de 2002. Allí se le mantuvo hasta que la CIA lo envió a Afganistán, el 22 de enero de 2004.

Stafford Smith cree que los británicos colaboraban con los marroquíes. Cuando estaba en prisión, un interrogador dijo a Habashi : "Hemos trabajado con los británicos y tenemos fotos de personas que nos ha entregado el MI6".

La CIA lo trasladó a Kabul, Afganistán, el 22 de enero de 2004 para nuevos interrogatorios, y el 18 de septiembre del mismo año lo transfirieron a Guantánamo, donde lleva más de un año en cautiverio.

La acusación en contra de Habashi afirma que se adiestró en campos terroristas en Afganistán y que en Karachi conoció a Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, el líder de Al Qaeda que fue arquitecto de los ataques del 11 de septiembre en Nueva York, quien le dio la "misión" de volar edificios de departamentos en esa ciudad. El etiope reconoce haber ido a Afganistán, pero niega esta involucrado en terrorismo. Se dice que Al Qaeda adiestra a sus seguidores para hacer acusaciones falsas de tortura si son capturados.

© The Indepedent

Traducción : Jorge Anaya

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Straw faces MPs over claims MI6 delivered suspect for torture.

By Colin Brown, Deputy Political Editor
The independent. London, 12 December 2005

Allegations that MI6 handed over a former London student to the CIA for "extraordinary rendition" and torture will be raised omorrow by MPs with Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary.

A horrific and graphic account of abuse, sleep deprivation and torture has been given to lawyers by Benyam Mohammed al-Habashi, 27, who claims he was handed to the CIA by MI6 officers after being arrested in Pakistan while trying to board a flight in Karachi on a false passport.

Mr Habashi, an Ethiopian who claimed asylum in Britain, says he was taken to CIA detention centres and subjected to systematic torture by Americans who claimed he was part of a plot to set off a nuclear "dirty bomb" in America. He said he was interrogated for 18 months in a Moroccan prison, and had his penis cut with a scalpel. He also claims he was chained to a wall for days, chained to the floor in a pitch-dark cell in Kabul, and turned into a heroin adcict.

His lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, believes he could be the first British resident to become a victim of extraordinary rendition by the US. Mr Stafford Smith said : "There is no doubt that Benyam was rendered and tortured in a most savage and barbaric way."

He is facing trial before a military court at Guantanamo Bay - the US detention centre in Cuba - and could be jailed for life, but no date has been set for his hearing. Mr Straw and other ministers have given assurances that Britain does not condone torture and the intelligence services are not involved in torturing prisoners. The Law Lords last week ruled that evidence obtained using torture was inadmissable in British courts.

MPs on the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee who are investigating the reports of more than 400 flights by CIA planes in and out of Britain will raise the case with Mr Straw when they take further evidence from the Foreign Secretary. "This does need to be looked at and it will be raised," said a Labour member of the committee.

Mr Habashi, from Notting Hill, London, was stopped at the airport en route for London on 10 April, 2002 when he was spotted using a passport he says he borrowed from a friend "to go travelling". British intelligence officers, believed to be from MI6, were allowed to see him in a prison in Pakistan.

He told his lawyer he was taken to a military airfield and handed over to the Americans who flew him to Rabat, Morocco, on 22 July 2002, where he was held until being moved by the CIA to Afghanistan on 22 January 2004. Mr Stafford Smith believes the British were cooperating with the Moroccans. While in the prison, an interrogator told Mr Habashi : "We have been working with the British and we have photos of people given to us by MI5.’’

He was flown by the CIA to Kabul, Afghanistan on 22 January 2004 for more interrogation and transferred on 18 September, 2004 to Guantanamo Bay where he has been held for over a year.

The indictment against him says he trained at terrorist camps in Afghanistan and in Karachi met Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the al-Q’aida architect of the 11 September attacks on New York, who gave him a "mission" to blow up New York apartment blocks. He admits to going to Afghanistan but denies being involved in terrorism. Al-Q’aida is said to train its followers to make false allegations of torture if captured.

Allegations that MI6 handed over a former London student to the CIA for "extraordinary rendition" and torture will be raised omorrow by MPs with Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary.

A horrific and graphic account of abuse, sleep deprivation and torture has been given to lawyers by Benyam Mohammed al-Habashi, 27, who claims he was handed to the CIA by MI6 officers after being arrested in Pakistan while trying to board a flight in Karachi on a false passport.

Mr Habashi, an Ethiopian who claimed asylum in Britain, says he was taken to CIA detention centres and subjected to systematic torture by Americans who claimed he was part of a plot to set off a nuclear "dirty bomb" in America. He said he was interrogated for 18 months in a Moroccan prison, and had his penis cut with a scalpel. He also claims he was chained to a wall for days, chained to the floor in a pitch-dark cell in Kabul, and turned into a heroin adcict.

His lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, believes he could be the first British resident to become a victim of extraordinary rendition by the US. Mr Stafford Smith said : "There is no doubt that Benyam was rendered and tortured in a most savage and barbaric way."

He is facing trial before a military court at Guantanamo Bay - the US detention centre in Cuba - and could be jailed for life, but no date has been set for his hearing. Mr Straw and other ministers have given assurances that Britain does not condone torture and the intelligence services are not involved in torturing prisoners. The Law Lords last week ruled that evidence obtained using torture was inadmissable in British courts.

MPs on the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee who are investigating the reports of more than 400 flights by CIA planes in and out of Britain will raise the case with Mr Straw when they take further evidence from the Foreign Secretary. "This does need to be looked at and it will be raised," said a Labour member of the committee.
Mr Habashi, from Notting Hill, London, was stopped at the airport en route for London on 10 April, 2002 when he was spotted using a passport he says he borrowed from a friend "to go travelling". British intelligence officers, believed to be from MI6, were allowed to see him in a prison in Pakistan.

He told his lawyer he was taken to a military airfield and handed over to the Americans who flew him to Rabat, Morocco, on 22 July 2002, where he was held until being moved by the CIA to Afghanistan on 22 January 2004. Mr Stafford Smith believes the British were cooperating with the Moroccans. While in the prison, an interrogator told Mr Habashi : "We have been working with the British and we have photos of people given to us by MI5.’’

He was flown by the CIA to Kabul, Afghanistan on 22 January 2004 for more interrogation and transferred on 18 September, 2004 to Guantanamo Bay where he has been held for over a year.

The indictment against him says he trained at terrorist camps in Afghanistan and in Karachi met Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the al-Q’aida architect of the 11 September attacks on New York, who gave him a "mission" to blow up New York apartment blocks. He admits to going to Afghanistan but denies being involved in terrorism. Al-Q’aida is said to train its followers to make false allegations of torture if captured.