CIA agents convicted for the kidnap of a Muslim cleric

23 Americans, including a CIA agent, as well as two Italian secret agents, have been convicted for the 2003 kidnap of Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, known as Abu Omar. This Muslim cleric was abducted from Milan and sent to Germany and then Cairo, where he was allegedly tortured and held for four years without any charge. The trial against his captors was part of the CIA’s extraordinary rendition program, and was held at the court in Milan. Robert Lady, the CIA's Milan station chief at the time, was given an eight-year term, while the other 22 Americans were sentenced to five years in prison, and the two Italian agents were given three-year terms.

Abu Omar in Milan, 2007

Here’s the link to the original article:
BBC News - CIA agents guilty of Italy kidnap

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CIA Investigated For Torture

Some weeks ago, Foreign Affairs published this short article about the CIA and its interrogation methods, when a prosecutor was appointed to review their operatives’ behavior in past cases. The American intelligence community has always had a reputation of torture practices, and it was precisely to prosecute those cases of unlawful behavior that this review was launched. This investigation has created a lot of controversy in the US, since there are a lot of people who think a prosecution of the CIA is not in the country’s best interest. On the other hand, many have complained that the investigation is too feeble, and not comprehensive enough.

Here’s the link to the article, and please feel free to comment.
Foreign Affairs - CIA Probe and the Torture Debate

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