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Italy convicts 23 US agents in CIA kidnapping trial

GINA DOGGETT | MILAN, ITALY - Nov 05 2009 08:30

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An Italian judge convicted 23 United States and two Italian secret agents for the CIA's kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric in 2003, as Washington expressed dismay over the ruling.

The CIA's Milan station chief at the time, Robert Seldon Lady, was sentenced on Wednesday to eight years in prison and the other Americans to five years, all in their absence at the landmark trial.

The two Italians were given three-year prison terms after the first trial involving the transfer of a "war on terror" suspect by CIA operatives thought to have sent scores of people to countries known to practise torture.

The CIA chief for Italy at the time, Jeffrey Castelli, and the then-head of Italian military intelligence SISMI, Nicolo Pollari, were protected by state secrecy rules, while two other American defendants benefited from diplomatic immunity, Judge Oscar Magi said.

US State Department spokesperson Ian Kelly said that Washington was "disappointed by the verdicts against the Americans and Italians" in the trial.

"Our view is the Italian court has no jurisdiction over Lieutenant Colonel [Joseph] Romano and should have immediately dismissed the charges," said Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell.

"Now that they have not, we will, of course, explore what options we have going forward."

Prosecutor Armando Spataro hailed the ruling, saying the trial, which opened in June 2007, had demonstrated "the truth of the investigation".

Spataro had sought a 13-year jail term for Castelli and Pollari, who was forced to quit over the affair.

CONTINUES BELOW

Osama Mustafa Hassan, an imam better known as Abu Omar, was snatched from a Milan street on February 17 2003 in an operation coordinated by the CIA and SISMI.

The radical Islamist opposition figure, who enjoyed political asylum in Italy, was allegedly taken to the Aviano Air Base, a US military installation in north-eastern Italy, then flown to the US base in Ramstein, Germany, and on to Cairo, where he says he was tortured.

The "extraordinary rendition" programme was set up by the administration of then-president George Bush in the wake of the September 11 2001 attacks on the United States.

The imam's captors failed to take many standard precautions, speaking openly on cellphones, leaving investigators to suspect that the Americans had cleared their intentions with senior Italian intelligence officials.

Sabrina De Sousa, a CIA spy sentenced to five years in an Italian prison for her role in the kidnapping plot, admitted on Wednesday that she "broke the law" but felt abandoned by her superiors.

"And we are paying for the mistakes right now, whoever authorised and approved this," De Sousa told ABC television, adding she felt "abandoned and betrayed".

Human Rights Watch welcomed the court move, even though the two highest-ranking officials were not convicted.

"The Italian government was found responsible for collaborating with the CIA. It was a brave ruling for an Italian court," the rights group's Joanne Mariner said.

The trial was delayed as successive Italian governments sought to have it thrown out as a threat to national security. Defendants argued that state secrecy rules prevented them from being able to prove their innocence.

The issue went before Italy's Constitutional Court, which agreed that part of the investigation had violated state secrecy provisions but said the prosecution could use evidence obtained correctly.

Prosecutor Spataro lamented what he called the "twisted logic" behind an operation that broke the law as well as sending a suspect to endure torture.

"This only encourages the multiplication of terrorists," said Spataro, who is known for his work against the left-wing militant group the Red Brigades that was active in the 1970s. -- AFP

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The entire government of the US of A and it's agencies are criminals and should be charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Billy Hill on November 5, 2009, 11:23 am

Great outcome and well done to Italy ... considering the obvious cost in terms of international relations.

Now all that's outstanding is to get Bush and his buddies to the Hague!

Ray Ives on November 5, 2009, 11:42 am

A rare event: justice coincides with the rule of law. As the HRW spokeswoman said, this was a very brave ruling. Well done Italy! Take note, CIA.

Set Lah on November 5, 2009, 1:09 pm

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Italy convicts 23 US agents in CIA kidnapping trial

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