ACLU Sues Company, Accusing It of Aiding Torture

May 31, 07:39 AM

Current Headlines: By HENRY WEINSTEIN

By Henry Weinstein

Los Angeles Times

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing a Boeing subsidiary of helping the CIA to facilitate "the forced disappearance, torture and inhumane treatment" of three men the government suspected of terrorist involvement.

"This is the first time we are accusing a blue-chip American company of profiting from torture," said ACLU lawyer Ben Wizner, speaking at a news conference in New York City.

Since at least 2001, Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc., of San Jose, Calif., "has provided direct and substantial services to the United States for its so-called 'extraordinary rendition' program," the lawsuit, filed in San Jose federal court, says .

Extraordinary rendition is a highly secretive and extrajudicial practice of transferring terrorist suspects to third-party countries that routinely practice torture and other ill-treatment, according to Human Rights Watch. After years of denial, the Bush administration now acknowledges the tactic, but it denies sanctioning torture.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of three men: Binyam Mohammed, 28, an Ethiopian citizen and British resident; Abou Elkassim Britel, a 40-year-old man of Moroccan ancestry naturalized in Italy, and Ahmed Agiza, 45, an Egyptian citizen. The lawsuit says that Jeppesen provided flight and logistical support services on more than 70 extraordinary renditions over a four-year period.

Mike Pound, a spokesman for Jeppesen, said the company had not been served with the suit and had no comment on its merits.

Tim Neale, a spokesman for Chicago-based Boeing, declined to confirm whether Jeppesen worked for the CIA. "The services Jeppesen provides are provided on a confidential basis for all its customers," he said.

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