87:
said that Amir Meshal's allegations of abuse were "quite troubling," but stated that he is unable to pursue claims that agents violated his constitutional rights because the events took place overseas during a terrorism investigation. The court stated: "Matters touching on national security and foreign policy fall within an area of executive action where courts hesitate to intrude absent congressional authorization."
74:. In the lawsuit, Meshal alleges he was "interrogated more than thirty times by U.S. officials who failed to adhere to the most elementary requirements of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments and the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991" and "U.S. officials repeatedly threatened Mr. Meshal with torture,
200:
The lawsuit, which the
American Civil Liberties Union filed on Meshal's behalf, says US officials sent him back to Somalia and eventually to Ethiopia, where he was imprisoned in secret for several months. He says FBI agents accused him of receiving training from Al Qaeda and subjected him to harsh
86:
Meshal filed a legal action for violation of his rights in 2009. In 2014 a lower court dismissed the case. On
October 23, 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the lower court decision, (with a Dissenting opinion filed by Circuit Judge Pillard.). The ruling
94:
Patrick G. Eddington concludes "Mr. Meshal has fallen into a legal black hole, where the light of justice is extinguished in the name of national security. The appellate court decision means that
American citizens have no means available to hold the government accountable for violating their
188:
224:
174:
71:
254:
201:
interrogations while denying him access to a lawyer, his family, or anyone else. He was released in May 2007 with no explanation, according to the lawsuit.
236:
Eight years after Mr. Meshal's rendition, his case ended up before a three-judge panel of the United States Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia.
43:
50:(FBI), Chris Higgenbotham and Steve Hersem, and two other unknown U.S. government officials for their roles in subverting Meshal's rights under the
28:
214:
55:
160:
47:
95:
constitutional rights, simply because the United States conveniently denied those rights in another country of its choosing."
67:
124:
35:
161:
AMIR MESHAL, APPELLANT v. CHRIS HIGGENBOTHAM, FBI SUPERVISING SPECIAL AGENT, IN HIS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, ET AL., APPELLEES
138:
51:
75:
39:
219:
120:
248:
184:
25:
179:
163:
Argued May 1, 2015 Decided
October 23, 2015 No. 14-5194 (accessed 3 Nov. 2015)
66:
In
January 2007, while fleeing to Kenya after the fighting broke out in the
31:
159:
United States Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
215:"How the F.B.I. Can Detain, Render and Threaten Without Risk"
175:"Appeals court says American can't sue FBI over abuse claims"
98:
In June 2017, the
Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
70:
in
December 2006, Meshal was captured by forces of the
155:
153:
151:
115:
113:
111:
8:
72:Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa
44:natural born citizen of the United States
107:
56:Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991
7:
255:Civil liberties in the United States
213:Patrick G. Eddington (2015-11-03).
139:"Meshal v. Higgenbotham complaint"
14:
16:US interrogation torture lawsuit
227:from the original on 2019-02-20
191:from the original on 2015-10-25
48:Federal Bureau of Investigation
125:American Civil Liberties Union
36:American Civil Liberties Union
1:
46:, charging two agents of the
78:, and other serious harm".
271:
173:Sam Hananel (2015-10-23).
68:War in Somalia (2006–2009)
52:United States Constitution
121:"Meshal v. Higgenbotham"
21:Meshal v. Higgenbotham
76:forced disappearance
40:Amir Mohamed Meshal
220:The New York Times
262:
239:
238:
233:
232:
210:
204:
203:
197:
196:
170:
164:
157:
146:
145:
143:
135:
129:
128:
117:
270:
269:
265:
264:
263:
261:
260:
259:
245:
244:
243:
242:
230:
228:
223:. p. A31.
212:
211:
207:
194:
192:
172:
171:
167:
158:
149:
141:
137:
136:
132:
119:
118:
109:
104:
92:New York Times,
84:
82:Court decisions
64:
17:
12:
11:
5:
268:
266:
258:
257:
247:
246:
241:
240:
205:
165:
147:
130:
106:
105:
103:
100:
83:
80:
63:
60:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
267:
256:
253:
252:
250:
237:
226:
222:
221:
216:
209:
206:
202:
190:
186:
185:Washington DC
182:
181:
176:
169:
166:
162:
156:
154:
152:
148:
140:
134:
131:
126:
122:
116:
114:
112:
108:
101:
99:
96:
93:
88:
81:
79:
77:
73:
69:
61:
59:
57:
53:
49:
45:
41:
38:on behalf of
37:
34:filed by the
33:
30:
27:
23:
22:
235:
229:. Retrieved
218:
208:
199:
193:. Retrieved
180:Boston Globe
178:
168:
133:
97:
91:
89:
85:
65:
20:
19:
18:
62:Allegations
231:2020-05-26
195:2020-05-26
102:References
249:Category
225:Archived
189:Archived
54:and the
90:In the
32:lawsuit
29:federal
142:(PDF)
24:is a
42:, a
26:U.S.
251::
234:.
217:.
198:.
187:.
183:.
177:.
150:^
123:.
110:^
58:.
144:.
127:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.