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WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The Polish government is paying a quarter of a million dollars to two terror suspects who were allegedly tortured by the CIA in a secret facility in Poland.
And that is prompting outrage among many Poles who feel they are being punished for American wrongdoing. They don't like to see their country face penalties for the secret rendition and detention program that the CIA operated under then-President George W. Bush in several countries after the 9/11 attacks.
So far, no U.S. officials have been held accountable. But the European Court of Human Rights has shown that it doesn't want to let European powers off the hook for helping with the program. The court ruled last July that Poland had violated the rights of the two suspects.
Three years ago, the court also ordered Macedonia to pay $68,000 to a Lebanese-German man who was seized there on what turned out to be erroneous suspicion of terrorist ties, and was subjected to abuse by the CIA.
It's not clear how Poland will make the payments -- since the two men have been held for years at Guantanamo Bay with almost no contact with the outside world. Lawyers for the suspects say the money won't be used to fund terrorism.
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150-c-17-(Vanessa Gera (JEER'-uh), AP correspondent)-"without any charges"-AP correspondent Vanessa Gera reports the two terror suspects are now at Guantanamo, where they've been held for years. (15 May 2015)
<<CUT *150 (05/15/15)££ 00:17 "without any charges"
149-c-17-(Vanessa Gera (JEER'-uh), AP correspondent)-"to fund terrorism"-AP correspondent Vanessa Gera reports it remains unclear how a European government can make payments to these two suspects, who who have been held for years at Guantanamo with almost no contact with the outside world. (15 May 2015)
<<CUT *149 (05/15/15)££ 00:17 "to fund terrorism"
APPHOTO XLAT108: FILE - In this Sunday, Oct. 15, 2000 file photo, investigators in a speed boat examine the hull of the USS Cole at the Yemeni port of Aden, after a powerful explosion ripped a hole in the U.S Navy destroyer, killing at least 17 sailors and injuring some 30 others. Poland is paying a quarter of a million dollars to terror suspects Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi national accused in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole warship and a second terror suspect Abu Zubaydah, who were allegedly tortured by the CIA in a secret facility in Poland - prompting outrage among many here who feel they are being punished for American wrongdoing. (AP Photo/Dimitri Messinis, file) (15 Oct 2000)
<<APPHOTO XLAT108 (10/15/00)££
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