Judge denies ACLU request to reveal US role in torture of American citizen

A federal court judge in Washington, D.C. denied on Thursday a request by the American Civil Liberties Union to reveal alleged U.S. government involvement in the torture of Naji Hamdan, an American citizen.

Hamdan, a 42-year-old Muslim, father and small business owner from California, was arrested by United Arab Emirates authorities in August, 2008 and tortured repeatedly. During the abuse, he says, a man who spoke perfect English was present, ever threatening him to comply with his interrogators.

“In his ruling from the bench, U.S. District Judge James Robertson left the door open for the ACLU to bring new a new legal argument in the case, but said that the ACLU had not demonstrated he had sufficient legal authority to involve himself in the case [...]” noted ABC News. “Hamdan was detained for months by UAE officials before the government there charged him with three terror-related crimes.”

The network continued: “Robertson also said that the evidence the ACLU cited to argue that U.S. government officials may have been involved in Hamdan’s detention was based largely on ‘hearsay upon hearsay upon hearsay,’ and on Hamdan’s own allegations, which he called ’self-serving.’”

“His imprisonment appears to have been done at the request of the U.S. government, and his interrogation, which included severe torture, appears to have been done with participation of U.S. federal officials,” insists the ACLU. “If the U.S. government requested or participated in his detention and torture in the U.A.E., the United States government has violated this U.S. citizen’s most fundamental rights.”

The FBI and Justice Department have denied involvement in the case.

“Hamdan told his brother that his captors routinely beat him and kept him in a freezing underground room during his months-long detention by state security forces,” the ACLU said in an advisory. “The torturers sometimes beat him in the location of his liver, knowing that he has a liver condition, and denied him his prescription liver medication throughout his detention. His torturers also beat him on the soles of his feet, deprived him of sleep by shining a bright spotlight on his face for hours at a time, and engaged in other abuses.

“The torture was so severe that he often passed out from the pain, Hamdan told his brother. The agents also threatened to punish Hamdan’s wife and family if he did not confess to their allegations.”

“Naji would never be involved with terrorism, but he has now suffered horrible torture for no reason. I am very worried for my brother’s health. The U.S. government must help him,” Hossam Hemdan told the civil rights group.

The ACLU has created a Web site where supporters may sign a petition to Secretary of State Clinton seeking Hamdan’s release.