Supreme Court won’t hear torture appeal
A German citizen who said he was kidnapped by the Central Intelligence Agency and tortured in a prison in Afghanistan lost his last chance to seek redress in court today when the Supreme Court declined to consider his case.
The justices’ refusal to take the case of Khaled el-Masri let stand a March 2 ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, in Richmond, Va. That court upheld a 2006 decision by a federal district judge, who dismissed Mr. Masri’s lawsuit on the grounds that trying the case could expose state secrets. [complete article]
See also, Lost opportunity to review government’s abuse of “state secrets” (ACLU).
Editor’s Comment — Just when it would be most inconvenient for the administration to be forced to answer questions about its use of torture, the Supreme Court steps in and saves the day – a good day for Bush and another blow to democracy.
