UK pays ‘substantial’ compensation to Guantánamo detainee Abu Zubaydah
in de media image: Ye Jinghan via Unsplash
Helen Duffy, professor of international law in Leiden, is Abu Zubaydah’s international lawyer and commented on the case for the BBC and other media.
The British government has paid significant compensation to Abu Zubaydah, who was tortured by the CIA and has been held without trial at Guantánamo Bay since 2002, in order to settle a lawsuit over the alleged complicity of British intelligence services.
The case focused on the role of the British Security Service (MI5) and the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) in the interrogations of Zubaydah, during which British agents are alleged to have passed questions to his American interrogators despite being aware of abuses. The exact amount of the compensation has not been disclosed, but lawyers describe it as “substantial.”
Duffy says that ‘the violations of Zubaydah’s rights are not only historical events, but are still ongoing.’ She emphasizes that ‘the compensation is important and significant, but it is insufficient.’ She calls for the UK and other governments to act to ensure the release of her client from unlawful detention at Guantanamo, public acknowledgement and apology, and accountability of those responsible for his ongoing torture and unlawful detention.