Court sides with torture victim against Macedonia
Thursday 13 December 2012
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EmailThe European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in favour of Khaled el-Masri today, who had sought judgement against Macedonia for complicity in his kidnap by the CIA and subsequent detention in a secret prison in Afghanistan in 2003.
The ECHR ruled that the truth of the German citizen's account had been "established beyond reasonable doubt."
It said Macedonia's government "had been responsible for his torture and ill-treatment both in the country itself and after his transfer to the US authorities in the context of an extra-judicial rendition."
The court ordered Macedonia to pay €60,000 (£48,500) in damages.
It was Mr el-Masri's first major win after unsuccessful attempts to get justice through US and German courts.
In 2007 the Council Of Europe has accused 14 European governments of allowing the CIA to run detention centres or carry out rendition flights between 2002 and 2005.
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