LONDON, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The United Kingdom is responsible for the chain of events that saw a Libyan military commander tortured by Western intelligence officials, a lawyer said.
Abdel Hakim Belhaj, Libya's military commander who worked with NATO forces during Operation Unified Protector, claims the British government played a role in his illegal rendition and torture while he was held in Libya's Abu Salim jail.
He was captured in Thailand in 2006 and transferred to the Libyan prison. There, he says, he was tortured at the hands of Western and Libyan personnel because he was accused of supporting al-Qaida.
"What happened to me was illegal and it deserves an apology," he told the BBC.
Sapna Malik, a lawyer with his legal defense team at Leigh Day and Co., said Belhaj was subjected to horrific treatment.
"The barbaric treatment which our clients describe, both at the hands of the Americans and the Libyans is beyond comprehension and yet it appears that the U.K. was responsible for setting off this torturous chain of events," said Malik.
British officials said they wouldn't comment on specifics but noted an inquiry panel vetting detainee treatment would "consider" the allegations.
Human rights groups working inside Libya are said to have uncovered documents related to Belhaj's case abandoned by the former government in Tripoli.
