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The BBC has disclosed that the UK government has compensated Abu Zubaydah, a man who endured torture at the hands of the CIA and has been held without trial at Guantanamo Bay for nearly two decades. Zubaydah was reportedly the first individual to face the CIA’s enhanced interrogation methods following the September 11, 2001 attacks. Initially suspected to be a high-ranking member of al-Qaeda, this claim was later retracted by the US authorities. Despite clear knowledge of his severe mistreatment, British intelligence agencies MI5 and MI6 provided interrogation questions to the CIA for use during his questioning sessions. Subsequently, Zubaydah initiated legal action against the UK, alleging that its intelligence services had been complicit in his torture.
This legal battle has culminated in a financial settlement. Helen Duffy, Zubaydah’s international legal counsel, described the compensation as significant but inadequate. She has called on the UK and other governments implicated to facilitate his release, emphasizing that the violations of his rights are continuing, not mere historical incidents. The Foreign Office declined to comment on matters pertaining to intelligence. While the precise compensation amount has not been disclosed due to legal restrictions, Duffy confirmed it was substantial and that payment processes are underway, although Zubaydah currently lacks access to these funds.
Abu Zubaydah, a Palestinian born in Saudi Arabia, has been detained at Guantanamo Bay since 2006 without charges. He remains one of 15 inmates still held despite numerous reports and rulings highlighting his mistreatment. Often referred to as a “forever prisoner,” he was captured in Pakistan in 2002 and subsequently held at covert CIA detention sites in multiple countries, including Lithuania and Poland. These “black sites” operate outside the jurisdiction of US law, and Zubaydah was the first detainee subjected to this treatment. Internal communications from MI6 revealed that British intelligence regarded his treatment as severe enough to break 98% of US special forces soldiers. Nevertheless, it took four years before any guarantees concerning his treatment were sought by UK intelligence.
The capture of Zubaydah was initially hailed as a major achievement in the war on terror, with then-President George W. Bush touting him as a senior al-Qaeda operative involved in planning attacks—a claim later withdrawn by the US government. He became known as a “guinea pig” for the CIA’s controversial interrogation program, which, according to a US Senate report, included waterboarding him 83 times, confining him in coffin-like boxes, and inflicting physical abuse—methods that UK standards would recognize as torture. Duffy has criticized British intelligence for essentially enabling this torture by supplying tailored questions to the CIA. The UK Parliament’s intelligence and security committee published a report in 2018 which, along with the Senate investigation, condemned the treatment Zubaydah endured. Parliamentary scrutiny also extended to MI5 and MI6’s involvement regarding Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, raising questions about possible similar legal claims, although neither the government nor Mohammed’s legal representatives provided comment on the issue. Former parliamentary inquiry chair Dominic Grieve reflected on the UK’s failure to confront the US over these matters, stating that the UK should have raised serious concerns and even suspended cooperation but did not act promptly. Zubaydah’s legal team remains hopeful that the compensation will assist him in building a new life upon release, though they stress that his freedom depends on intervention by the United States and its allies
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