Detainee charges abuse, seeks review

WASHINGTON, March 13 (UPI) -- Lawyers for a detainee held in Charleston, S.C., allege he was systematically abused and there are videotapes to prove it.

Ali al-Marri, in U.S. custody since his 2003, is seeking to have his case reviewed by a federal court. He wants out of isolation where he has been held without charge for years, The Washington Post said.

The New York Times said on its Web site that defense officials have turned up about 50 videotapes of interrogations of Marri and Jose Padilla, another suspect held at the U.S. Navy brig in Charleston.

Donald Black, a spokesman for the Defense Intelligence Agency, acknowledged that one tape showed Marri gagged with duct tape. But, he said that was caused by Marri's disruptive behavior and provided no evidence of abuse.

CIA admissions that the agency videotaped detainees who were subjected to waterboarding and then destroyed the tapes created an uproar and prompted a renewed inquiry by the U.S. Defense Department.