Overview
- Lawyers for Abu Zubaydah said the agreement provides significant redress, though the amount remains undisclosed and the Foreign Office declined to comment, citing a neither-confirm-nor-deny stance on intelligence matters.
- Zubaydah, captured in 2002 and held at Guantanamo since 2006 without charge, was waterboarded more than 80 times and confined in coffin‑size boxes, according to a U.S. Senate report.
- A 2018 report by the UK Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee found MI5 and MI6 knew of his mistreatment and sent questions for CIA interrogations.
- The settlement follows a 2023 UK Supreme Court ruling that allowed his civil suit to proceed under the laws of England and Wales.
- Zubaydah’s legal team urged action to secure his release, as political reaction in Britain included calls from Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick for transparency over the decision, while former ISC chair Dominic Grieve said what happened to Zubaydah was plainly wrong.