The United Kingdom has reached a substantial financial settlement with Abu Zubaydah, a Guantanamo Bay detainee held without charge for over two decades, resolving allegations of British complicity in his torture and extraordinary rendition. The agreement concludes years of litigation that exposed the UK’s involvement in the CIA’s post-9/11 interrogation program.
While the exact settlement figure remains confidential, legal representatives for Zubaydah characterized the payment as a de facto acknowledgment of Britain’s role in facilitating his abuse at secret CIA “black site” prisons between 2002 and 2006. The Palestinian national, captured in 2002, endured extreme interrogation techniques including 83 waterboarding sessions in one month, prolonged sleep deprivation, and confinement in coffin-sized boxes.
A pivotal 2018 parliamentary report revealed that British intelligence agencies had submitted questions to the CIA knowing Zubaydah was being tortured, failing either to seek assurances about his treatment or to prevent further abuse. This constituted a violation of both domestic and international law according to legal experts.
The settlement emerged just before a scheduled UK Supreme Court ruling in 2023, avoiding a potentially damaging public judgment. Helen Duffy, Zubaydah’s international counsel, noted that while the payment provides symbolic recognition, it falls short of full justice, emphasizing that Zubaydah remains detained at Guantanamo as one of three designated “forever prisoners” held indefinitely without trial.
The case coincides with the 24th anniversary of Guantanamo’s opening and follows similar rulings by the European Court of Human Rights against Lithuania and Poland for hosting CIA black sites. A 2023 UN report found seven nations, including the US and UK, responsible for Zubaydah’s torture and unlawful imprisonment, describing Britain as having “aided and assisted” American violations.
Legal analysts observe that the settlement highlights both the persistence of torture victims seeking accountability and the continued failure of governments to fully reckon with post-9/11 human rights abuses, particularly as no senior officials have faced consequences due to claims of state secrecy.