London – Following a petition signed by over 1500 people calling for justice for Ali al-Marri, Garden Court Chambers have been instructed to seek an arrest warrant for Ali Soufan to be investigated by the British SO15 War Crimes Unit in the Metropolitan Police for the alleged crime of torture under universal jurisdiction.

Ali Soufan is CEO of The Soufan Group, and as a UK-based director of a company, could be held liable for the alleged criminal acts. The applications follow a CAGE press conference in Amsterdam earlier today.

Susan Wright, Barrister at Garden Court Chambers who is representing al-Marri, said:

“Allegations of torture must be taken seriously, whenever and wherever they are made. That is why we have turned over evidence and referred the case to the War Crimes Unit of the Metropolitan Police. I hope that this will lead to the arrest of the person responsible, making it clear that no one is above the law.”

Moazzam Begg, Outreach Director for CAGE, said:

“We appeal to all international human rights lawyers and NGO’s to apply for arrest warrants against Mr Soufan in their respective countries. In a political climate in the United States which increasingly condones torture, it is crucial that agents of the state are held accountable for their roles in torture.”

Andrew J. Savage of Savage Law Firm, representing Ali al-Marri, said:

“We have been forced to seek justice outside of the US, when it was denied to my client inside. The systematic programme of torture coerced him into accepting a lie in order to return home. Now we have an opportunity to redress this wrong by highlighting how torture took place, and who was involved.”

 

CC image courtesy of Flickr – George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies

(NOTE: CAGE represents cases of individuals based on the remit of our work. Supporting a case does not mean we agree with the views or actions of the individual. Content published on CAGE may not reflect the official position of our organisation.)