From December 4 to 6, the Global Justice Clinic (GJC) was at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on behalf of its client, Mohammed al-Asad, a victim of the U.S. global torture and extraordinary rendition program, for which Afghanistan served as a hub. At the hearing, Nikki Reisch, counsel for GJC, urged the ICC to open an investigation into the situation in Afghanistan, including war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by U.S. personnel as part of this calculated and systematic program. GJC argued that the US torture program was designed to avoid the jurisdiction of courts—domestic, foreign or international—that might otherwise shut the program down. No senior US government official has ever been criminally prosecuted for their role in the torture program. Authorizing an investigation into US crimes committed as part of this program would represent a substantial step toward ending impunity and achieving accountability and justice.

The team representing Mr. al-Asad was comprised of Nikki Reisch, Meg Satterthwaite, and Sara Robinson. GJC worked in collaboration with the Center for Constitutional Rights and Reprieve, among other lawyers representing victims.

Read the press release here.