SHARING INFORMATION WITH STATES THAT TORTURE beaten, and subjected to other forms of abuse. Held at the Salt Pit for four months, el-Masri was never charged, brought before a judge, or given access to his family or German government representatives. “The CIA ultimately realised that it had mistaken el-Masri for an al-Qaida suspect with a similar name. But it held on to him for weeks after that. It was not until 24 May 2004, that he was flown, blindfolded, earmuffed, and chained to his seat, to Albania, where he was dumped on the side of the road without explanation.” 13 El Masri’s case is one of the best documented extraordinary renditions by the CIA to date. In 2012, the European Court of Human Rights determined El Masri had been tortured and that Macedonia was responsible both for abusing him while in their custody and for the abuse he received in Afghanistan at the hands of the Americans.14 In Denmark, Danish Foreign Minister Villy Sovndal had to retract statements he made in 2012 promising that Danish agents would not rely on information obtained through torturing suspects in other countries. He later issued a statement saying that Danish authorities would continue to use information from countries that “use methods of interrogation that may contradict Danish principles of justice.” 15 During their review before the UN Committee against Torture in 2012, Canada asserted that its intelligence agencies would share information obtained by torture in exceptional circumstances, even in contexts where there was a high probability that the information was incorrect or misleading. The Canadian delegation asserted that to be effective, their Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) had to work with foreign agencies from all around the world, but that they do exercise caution with regard to such information. 13 14 15 ‘European court of human rights (sic.) finds against CIA abuse of Khaled el-Masri’, The Guardian (UK), 13 December 2012. BBC, Europe Court award for rendition victim Khaled al-Masri, 13 December 2012, at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20712615. IRCT, ‘Denmark may use information obtained through torture’, http:// worldwithouttorture.org/2012/03/12/denmark-may-use-information-obtainedthrough-torture/. 13