Human Rights Watch has discovered secret CIA and MI6 documents in Tripoli exposing the British government’s cooperation with Muammar Gaddafi in carrying out renditions of terror suspects to Libya. Abdel Hakim Belhaj—now the rebel commander in Tripoli—and his family were removed from Hong Kong to Tripoli with British cooperation, despite the risk that they would be tortured by Gaddafi’s thugs. “This was the least we could do for you and for Libya to demonstrate the remarkable relationship we have built over recent years," MI6’s counterterrorism chief wrote to the head of Libyan intelligence after the operation. The CIA, while not involved in the planning of the operation, offered assistance in its execution and financial support. Britain has recently tried to downplay the extent of its cooperation with Gaddafi’s regime. Belhaj has demanded an apology from London.
