Danish National Secretly Questioned by US Agents while his Family thought he was Dead

A Danish national was secretly questioned by US agents in Africa while his family were left to think he was dead, reports the respected Copenhagen Post.

A Danish citizen, who was being held by Ethiopian security forces, was secretly interrogated by US authorities in Africa back in 2007. It is the first time someone has confirmed that the Danish authorities were aware of the US rendition program, where prisoners were allegedly transported secretly across borders and interrogated without legal representation.

In an interview with Politiken newspaper, ‘Allan’ spoke of how he had travelled to Somalia to support an armed uprising by the Islamic Courts Union – an organisation intent on returning Sharia law to the country. The 36-year-old Danish Muslim convert was captured by Ethiopian forces at the start of 2007 and for more than a month was subjected to daily interrogations by US agents.

According to Politiken, it was the US authorities that alerted their Danish counterparts to Allan’s whereabouts, but it was two months before the Danes could gain access to Allan in his Ethiopian cell. During this time he had no access to legal representatives or contact with his family, who believed he had died.

Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller has in the past denied any knowledge of alleged US secret rendition prisons and said that in this particular case the Danish government had done nothing wrong. ‘At no time did this particular prisoner tell the Foreign Ministry that he had been abused, restrained or transported by the Americans. As a result I have not done anything in particular about the American issue in my domestic political contacts,’ said Møller in a written response.

According to Anders Ladekarl of the Danish Red Cross, this case highlights that the US was hiding and interrogating prisoners without affording them their rights. ‘If the Danish government was aware of the case, it also holds a moral responsibility,’ said Ladekarl, adding that the US should have informed the Danes of Allan’s location immediately. ‘You can’t just let people disappear for months at a time. If that happens, we are destroying everything our civilisation is built on.’ Allan was later questioned by the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET), but no charges were brought against him.
Neither PET nor the Justice Ministry would comment on the reasons for his release. Allan now lives in the West African country of Mauritania with his family.

Source: Ecoterra Intl, April 17, 2009

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