"Rendition" to Egypt means heinous torture

A new Human Rights Watch report describes the torture common in the Egyptian detention system, including "beatings with fists, feet, leather straps, sticks, and electric cables; suspension in contorted and painful positions accompanied by beatings; the application of electric shocks; and sexual intimidation and violence." Detainees "rendered" or "delivered" by the CIA to Egypt are likely to face this sort of treatment. Mamdouh Habib, an Egyptian-born Australian citizen captured in Pakistan who was rendered to Egypt by the United States, claims he was subjected to grueling physical and psychological torture, including life-threatening kicks to the abdomen, cigarette-burns, electric shocks, cigarette burns, hanging from the ceiling, and beating with wooden sticks. He also says interrogators lied to him about the whereabouts of his family, putting him in severe psychological distress.

The 53-page report, "Black Hole: The Fate of Islamists Rendered to Egypt," identifies some 60 individuals, mostly alleged Islamist militants of Egyptian origin, whom other states rendered to Egypt since 1994. The sending states have mainly been Arab and South Asian countries, but include Sweden as well as the United States.

"Sending suspects to a country where they are likely to be tortured is strictly prohibited under international law," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Egypt's terrible record of torturing prisoners means that no country should forcibly send a suspect there."

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"The Bush administration knows full well that Egypt tortures people in custody, and that its promises not to torture a given suspect are not worth the paper they're written on," Stork said. "This fig leaf doesn't hide U.S. complicity in the terrible abuses that await suspects sent to Egypt."