'They tore my nails out. Then I was interrogated by MI5' (warning:picture)

[Solly Mack]

What terror jury was not told

"Lawyers representing a man convicted of terrorism offences yesterday are to launch an appeal and embark on a civil action on his behalf alleging that he was tortured by Pakistani intelligence agents before being questioned by officials from the British security service, MI5.

In a case that echoes claims made by several British terrorism suspects detained in Pakistan in recent years, Rangzieb Ahmed says that he suffered brutal mistreatment at the hands of the country's notorious Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency shortly before being questioned by two MI5 officers.

The jury at Manchester crown court that convicted Ahmed of being a member of al-Qaida and of directing a terrorist organisation was not told that three of the fingernails of his left hand had been removed. Ahmed, 33, from Rochdale, says the nails were removed slowly with a pair of pliers over three consecutive days at a secret ISI prison, and alleged that on the fourth day he was hooded and bound and taken to a place where he was questioned by two MI5 officers.

Nor did the jury hear that MI5 and officers from Greater Manchester police passed questions to the ISI to be put to Ahmed during his interrogation."

[Turbineguy]

1. But.... yesterday

Duncan Hunter said it was OK to do that stuff...

[Solly Mack]

2. A coward would say that

[Bucky]

3. It makes me ill to think about the long term effects of this

There's the creeping fascism of western police authorities cooperating with Pakistani torture agencies.

There's the very real possibility that some of the terrorists who got convicted will get out of jail early because of these police actions.

There's the greater certainty that the terrorist groups who supported this man are now able to use his treatment to recruit more young men into being "martyrs" for the cause.

What don't they get? Fighting terrorism with torture always creates more terrorists that you can possibly convict.

[lunatica]

4. His conviction was based on info gotten through torture

That's what the story is about. The judge was not told that the man's fingernails had been torn off just before he was questioned by M15. But I'm sure that if he wasn't a terrorist before he certainly harbors some deep hatred now, which might lead to violence.

His fingernails look like they were broken off, not pulled. He said they were torn off. I would confess to anything if they did that to me just on one finger. It looks like he resisted or didn't tell them what they wanted to hear through three fingernails torn.

[BeFree]

5. heh

Whenever I meet someone who supports water-cheney-bush, I tell them that if w-c-b ever tortures me I will tell them YOU hired me. Kinda scares them.