US high court refuses to halt Guantanamo inmate's repatriation

US high court refuses to halt Guantanamo inmate's repatriation

58 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Supreme Court Friday refused to stop the repatriation by the US government of an Algerian inmate at the Guantanamo Bay prison who fears he will be tortured if he returns to his country.

Ahmed Belbacha was arrested in Pakistan and held in the US "war on terror" prison camp since 2002. Since then he has been declared a former enemy combatant making him eligible for repatriation to Algeria.

Belbacha appealed his repatriation order, fearing what he claims is almost certain torture if he returns to the country he fled from in the 1990s under persecution from both the military and the Armed Islamic Group, a militant group seeking the overthrow of the Algerian government.

He asked US courts that he be allowed to stay in Guantanamo until a country other than Algeria offers him asylum.

The Supreme Court turned down his appeal with no explanation, the same as it did in May with Libyan prisoner Abdul Ra'ouf al-Qassim, who is still being held at Guantanamo.

The US government maintains it has not repatriated any prisoner without first getting assurances they will not be mistreated, but lawyers for the prisoners and some rights groups have called the US position hypocritical.

Belbacha's attorneys, in their appeal filed Thursday before the Supreme Court, said their client's fear of torture was so great that he "would prefer to endure the oppressive environment of Guantanamo until an asylum state can be found."

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