US Sought Ex-Guantanamo Detainee's Silence On Torture: Court

[babylonsister]

US Sought Ex-Guantanamo Detainee's Silence: Court

by Luke Baker


LONDON - U.S. government lawyers tried to get a British resident held at Guantanamo Bay to sign a deal saying he had never been tortured and that he would not speak to the media as a condition of his release, according to documents presented in Britain's High Court.



Former British resident Binyam Mohamed, center wearing white cap, the first Guantanamo prisoner released since U.S. President Barack Obama took office, is accompanied by officials at Northolt military base in west London, Monday Feb. 23, 2009. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)


U.S. lawyers also wanted Binyam Mohamed, an Ethiopian citizen held at Guantanamo for more than 4 years, to plead guilty to secure his freedom, even though he was never charged with a crime, according to documents released by two judges who ruled in the High Court case.

The documents, relating to a ruling the judges made last October, reveal the U.S. military wanted Mohamed to agree not to sue the United States or any of its allies, and that any rights to compensation should be assigned to the U.S. government.

"The accused agrees not to participate in or support in any manner any litigation or challenge, in any forum, against the United States or any other nation or any official of any nation, whether military or civilian..." a draft plea agreement put forward by U.S. government lawyers in 2008 stated.

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"The facts revealed today reflect the way the U.S. government has consistently tried to cover up the truth of Binyam Mohamed's torture," said Clive Stafford-Smith, a lawyer for Mohamed and director of the human rights charity Reprieve.

"Gradually the truth is leaking out, and the governments on both sides of the Atlantic should pause to consider whether they should continue to fight to keep this torture evidence secret."


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http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/03/23-4