Aus - Spy warned of Habib torture

CIA Renditions , Guantanamo
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By Natalie O'Brien

February 02, 2008 02:00am

Article from: The Australian

AN ASIO agent has undermined the Howard government's claims that it did not know anything about former Guantanamo Bay inmate Mamdouh Habib's rendition to Egypt, saying the possibility that the Sydney man might be sent there was discussed from the time the spy agency knew he had been detained in Pakistan.

The spy, using the pseudonym "Paul Stokes", told a Federal Court hearing yesterday that what might happen to Mr Habib was discussed with government officials from the beginning of his detention in October 2001.

"It was discussed in the sense that it could conceivably happen," Mr Stokes said.

He told the court he and other government officials talked about whether the Egyptian authorities would ask for Egyptian-born Mr Habib to be "returned" or whether the Pakistani authorities might want to send him there.

Giving evidence on videolink seen only by judge Rodney Madgwick and legal counsel, Mr Stokes said there was a range of options that could have taken place.

It is the first time an Australian government official has admitted knowing anything about the possibility that Mr Habib might be taken to Egypt before he was sent there in November 2001.

Mr Habib is suing the government, saying it was complicit in his detention in Pakistan in early October 2001, and his subsequent kidnap by US intelligence agents, and also his transfer to Egypt where he was held and tortured for more than six months before ending up in Guantanamo Bay. He was released in January 2005 without being charged.

Mr Habib has always maintained that the Howard government knew about the CIA's secret transfers of terrorist suspects, which have become known as "extraordinary renditions".

The Howard government insisted it didn't. Up until 2005, Australian government officials said they did not know if Mr Habib had been taken to Egypt.

The Senate Privileges committee is to investigate if parliament was misled over whether Mr Habib was rendered to Egypt to be tortured with the knowledge of Australian authorities.

The evidence about the possible transfer to Egypt came during a special hearing into allegations by Mr Habib that he was interrogated by Australian officials in the Australian High Commission in Islamabad. The federal Government has denied this.

Mr Stokes told the court he had no personal nor direct knowledge about Mr Habib's rendition to Egypt but he had discussed it with other ASIO officials during the past few years.

The court also heard conflicting evidence from Mr Stokes about who made the arrangements for him to interview Mr Habib in Pakistan.

Mr Stokes said it was the Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Howard Brown, who had arranged it.

In earlier evidence, Mr Brown told the court it was a security matter, and that ASIO and the Australian Federal Police not he, had made the arrangements directly through the US embassy.

Evidence given in the court this week has revealed the extent of the US involvement in Mr Habib's arrest and detention. The court was told that it was US drug enforcement agents who were responsible for Mr Habib's arrest. And it was the US, not Pakistani officials, who officially told Mr Brown that Mr Habib had been arrested.

Mr Stokes also admitted yesterday that when he went on official Australian government business to interview Mr Habib he was driven there by US intelligence agents.



http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23145771-2,00.html


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This page contains a single entry by Marga Lacabe published on 2 de Febrero 2008 3:40 PM.

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