If the US government ever does come to its senses and shut down the CIA black sites, end the practice of "extraordinary rendition" (kidnapping) of terror suspects, and "alternative interrogation techniques" (torture), we will owe it in no small measure to the persistence and tenaciousness of an obscure German lawyer. When the Lebanese-born German citizen Khaled al Masri walked into the law offices of Manfred Gnjidic, the lawyer could hardly believe what he heard: a man swept off the streets of Macedonia, flown to Kandahar, Afghanistan where he was tortured for months, then suddenly released. Until that point, few people were aware of this illegal tactic used by the US in the "war on terror". Now, thanks to Manfred Gnjidic, we know about it, and some individuals may even be held accountable. More on Gnjidic from McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Involvement in a high-profile international rights case wasn't what Gnjidic had expected out of life. But the 42-year-old partner in a four-lawyer office in quaint, wood-framed and cobble-stoned Ulm - which with Neu Ulm across the Danube, where Masri lives, has a population of about 170,000 - now finds himself in the middle of world events.
Ben Wizner, lead attorney in the United States for the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued in the United States on behalf of al Masri, said Gnjidic had been central to exposing U.S. policy on extraordinary renditions, or moving suspects around the globe for questioning, and had highlighted concerns about torture.
"He's a big part of the reason we're arguing about torture in the middle of an American election, 100 years after most thought the issue was dead," Wizner said. "His work, his efforts, have been overwhelming."
Hans-Christian Stroebele, a member of the German parliamentary secret services investigation committee, said the work Gnjidic had started could lead to criminal charges in the coming weeks against American CIA agents, and had led many to rethink Germany's relationship with the United States.
"Politicians of all camps are now calling for warrants of arrest to be issued for the kidnappers," he said, adding that the case has led many to "resent the German investigators' `muzzle' when it comes to attacking Americans. A crime is a crime, regardless of who commits it. You can't spare a friend from facing the facts if he did wrong."
Manfred Gnjidic is a true friend of America; through his work we realize how far we have strayed from the ideals that made us great and admired in the world.
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