Italy sentences 23 Americans involved in CIA's rendition of an Egyptian

ROME (AP) — An Italian appeals court on Wednesday increased the sentences against 23 Americans convicted in the kidnapping of an Egyptian terror suspect involved in the CIA's extraordinary renditions program

In upholding the convictions, the court added one year to the eight-year term handed down to former Milan CIA station chief Robert Seldon Lady and two years onto the five-year terms given to 22 other Americans convicted along with him, defense lawyers said.

They were never in Italian custody and were tried and convicted in absentia. But they risk arrest if they travel to Europe as long as the convictions stand.

The Americans and two Italians were convicted last year of involvement in the kidnapping of Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, from a Milan street on Feb. 17, 2003 — the first convictions anywhere in the world against people involved in the CIA's practice of abducting terror suspects and transferring them to third countries where torture was permitted.

The cleric was transferred to U.S. military bases in Italy and Germany before being moved to Egypt, where he says he was tortured. He has since been released.

Amnesty International praised Wednesday's decision as a step toward demanding greater accountability in Europe for the CIA's extraordinary rendition program.

"Abu Omar was snatched off a Milan street and spirited away without any due process at all," Julia Hall, an Amnesty counter-terrorism expert said in a statement. "The Italian courts have acknowledged that the chain of events leading to such serious abuses cannot go unanswered."

The reason for the stiffer sentences won't be known until the judges issue their written ruling in March. But Guido Meroni, who represents six U.S. defendants, said the court rejected the mitigating factors that had resulted in the original, lower sentences. In their original sentence, the judges noted that the Americans had just been following orders.
Prosecutors countered in the appeal that kidnapping can never be considered part of ordinary diplomatic or consular work.

Defense attorney Arianna Barbazza, who represents Lady and 12 other Americans, said she would appeal to Italy's high court.

During the original trial, three Americans were acquitted: the then-Rome CIA station chief Jeffrey Castelli and two other diplomats formerly assigned to the Rome Embassy. Prosecutors appealed the acquittal, as they can in Italy.

But their appeal will start later after the court on Wednesday agreed there had been errors in how the Americans had been notified, said defense attorney Matilde Sansalone.

The court on Wednesday upheld the acquittals of five Italians, including the former head of Italian military intelligence Nicolo Pollari and four other Italian secret service agents. They had originally been acquitted because classified information about their alleged involvement was stricken by Italy's highest court on the grounds it amounted to state secrets.
Hall, of Amnesty, urged Italy to give a full accountability of their involvement and not hide behind the high court's ruling. "Kidnapping is a crime, not a 'state secret,'" she said

 

Well, that's kind of cool the Italian Government is being pretty animate about holding some unethical secret U.S. Government officials responsible for their wrong doings. The have a sweet National Anthem too.

 

Poland too !

 

Involved with kidnapping, that's illegal. The CIA wouldn't do anything illegal would they? They are like Mom, home, and apple pie.
I'm sure if this guy was guilty of being a terrorist that all they had to do was go through proper channels with our NATO allie Italy, and he would have been apprehended in a legal fashion.
So why are our government employees running amuck in a friendly country, and taking the law into their own hands. Do they think they are God?
I don't want to pay criminals with my tax money, so I hope they ahve been removed from the payrolls, and their retirement accounts closed out, since they have been convicted of criminal activities in a friendly country.
I'm sure they claim to have been following orders, but we all know better now don't we. wink wink wink