Italian Court Convicts 23 CIA Agents In First Case Testing Extraordinary Rendition

November 4, 2009 12:37 p.m. EST

Milan, Italy (AHN) - An Italian court has convicted 23 CIA agents and two Italian secret agents in the kidnapping and torture of a Muslim cleric in 2003. According to court documents the agents abducted Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, known as Abu Omar. Upon his seizure agents had him transported from Milan to Egypt, where he was allegedly tortured.

The Egyptian born cleric then spent four years in a Cairo prison. The trial which began in June 2007 sent shock waves throughout the international community because it was the first case that challenged the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" program. During the course of the trial three Americans and five Italians were been acquitted in the case.

Italian judge Judge Oscar Magi handed his ruling and sentenced the CIA station chief in Milan at the time, Robert Lady, to an eight-year term. Twenty-two other American agents who were also found guilty were sentenced to five years in prison. Two Italian agents were given three-year prison terms.

The judge also awarded Omar $1.5 million and awarded his wife nearly $738,000.

Safe from prosecution was the CIA chief for Italy, Jeffrey Castelli, and the head of Italian military intelligence, Nicolo Pollari. They both were protected by state secrecy rules.

Italian prosecutors said Abu Omar was taken as part of a series of extraordinary renditions carried out by the CIA. During their operations people classified as terror suspects were shuttled between countries for questioning and by most accounts tortured without any due process of law.