http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/01/06/1104832208379.html?oneclick=true
Australian official saw Habib tortured: report January 6, 2005 - 12:49PM An Australian official stood by and watched while US agents tortured and humiliated Australian terror suspect Mamdouh Habib, a newly released legal document revealed today. Mr Habib received electric shocks, was beaten, kicked and subjected to water torture at the hands of his American captors, Mr Habib's American lawyer Joe Margulies alleged. The allegations are contained in an affidavit supporting a restraining order against the US government to prevent Mr Habib being sent from Guantanamo Bay back to custody in Egypt. Mr Habib, from Sydney, has been imprisoned without charge since he was captured in Pakistan in early October 2001, accused of aiding terrorist network al-Qaeda. He was held initially in Pakistan before he was sent to Egypt and then to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where another Australian, David Hicks, is also imprisoned. The affidavit said a man who had previously introduced himself to Mr Habib as an Australian consular official watched while an American agent stood on Mr Habib's neck and had his photograph taken. Mr Habib was handcuffed throughout the ordeal, which took place at an airfield in Islamabad about October 29, 2001. "The person with his foot on Mr Habib's neck explained, in unaccented American English, that he planned to send one picture to his girlfriend and another to his sister," it said. "After this gratuitous photo shoot, they brought Mr Habib to his feet. When they did, Mr Habib saw both the American and Australian men who had been present at (an earlier interrogation)." Stephen Hopper, Mr Habib's Australian lawyer, said the affidavit was proof the Australian government was aware Mr Habib was tortured and mistreated. "It's absolutely disgraceful," Mr Hopper said. "Any Australian citizen cannot be tortured that way, and to stand by and watch Americans or persons from any nationality do that to an Australian citizen is just unacceptable. "What this indicates is that the Australian government officials have been engaged in crimes against humanity." After his detainment in Pakistan, Mr Habib was flown to Egypt at the end of October 2001 and imprisoned there for just under six months. During that time, he was subjected to horrific torture by his captors, the affidavit revealed. "Mr Habib, always handcuffed and sometimes suspended from hooks on the wall, was kicked, punched, beaten with a stick, and rammed with what can only be described as an electric cattle prod," it said. "If he lapsed into unconsciousness, they would revive him and continue the beatings." Amid the torture, Mr Habib said he was forced into false confessions, such as admitting to training al-Qaeda fighters in martial arts, despite only holding a yellow belt. The affidavit said the Egyptian authorities were particularly brutal towards Mr Habib and would place him in one of three rooms and gradually fill it with water, leaving only his head exposed and forced him to stand on tiptoe for hours. He was also threatened with German shepherd dogs. Comment was being sought from Attorney-General Philip Ruddock. AAP ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> DonorsChoose. A simple way to provide underprivileged children resources often lacking in public schools. Fund a student project in NYC/NC today! http://us.click.yahoo.com/EHLuJD/.WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
