Erster CIA Wiedergabeversuch öffnet sich

Der erste kriminelle Versuch über den CIA „außerordentliche Wiedergabe“ von den Terrorverdächtigen hat sich in Italien geöffnet. Sechsundzwanzig Amerikaner und sechs Italiener werden von der Entführung eines ägyptischen Terrorverdächtigen und vom Schicken er nach Ägypten beschuldigt, in dem er angeblich gequält wurde.

Die Amerikaner - geglaubt, CIA Mittel zu sein - werden im absentia versucht. Italien hat nicht verkündet, wenn es ihre Auslieferung zum Mailand Versuch sucht.

US Präsident George W Bush kommt in den Italien Stunden an, nachdem der Versuch sich öffnet.

Meanwhile, the head of a European investigation into the rendition process is due to present more findings on Friday.

Surprise witness

This is a controversial trial and it made a stuttering start, says the BBC’s Christian Fraser in Rome.

In their opening submissions this morning, defence lawyers called for proceedings to go behind closed doors, but the judge rejected their request.

The defence team is supported by the Italian government which has asked the country’s highest court to set aside the rendition trial, saying prosecution documents will break state secrecy laws and damage relations with the CIA.

The Constitutional Court is due to rule on that appeal by September, and defence lawyers are expected to ask that the trial be adjourned until the high court makes its ruling.

Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr - also known as Abu Omar - was snatched from a Milan street in February 2003.

Italian prosecutors say Nasr was taken to US bases in Italy and Germany before being taken to the Egyptian capital of Cairo. Nasr says he was tortured during his four-year imprisonment in Cairo.

At the time of his arrest he was suspected of recruiting fighters for Islamic groups but had not been charged.

He was released by Egypt earlier this year, his lawyer said.

A senior US official has said that the 26 Americans accused of Nasr’s kidnapping would not be sent to Italy even if Rome made an extradition request.

One of the surprise witnesses in the case will be Philip Morse - one of the minority owners of the US baseball team the Boston Red Sox, says our Rome correspondent.

It is alleged that his Gulfstream jet was used by the CIA to fly Abu Omar out of Italy, our correspondent says.

‘Web of abuse’

Also on Friday, Swiss senator Dick Marty, leading an inquiry on behalf of the Council of Europe, is due to release more of his findings.

Last year, he accused 14 European nations of colluding with US intelligence in a “spider’s web” of human rights abuses, and specified Romania and Poland as suspected locations for CIA “black sites”, where terror suspects are secretly held.

President Bush acknowledged the existence of such centres last year, but did not say where they were.

Mr Bush will arrive on Friday for talks with Pope Benedict XVI and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi.

Mr Prodi has already said that the extraordinary rendition case will not be on the agenda.

BBC

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