'Rendition' Case Takes a New Twist

The citizen is Ahmed Abu Ali, a 23-year-old student who was arrested in Saudi Arabia in June 2003 while taking an exam at the University of Medina, and has since been held in a Saudi prison without charge or access to legal counsel.
Saudi authorities claim they have no case against Ali, and that his detention is at the behest of the U.S. government. The U.S. government responds it had nothing to do with his arrest or imprisonment, but has declined to publicly produce any evidence to document this claim.
Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation visited Ali during his detention, and the U.S. has reportedly asked Saudi authorities to indict Ali or return him to U.S. custody.
Ali's family charges that their son is a victim of ”rendition” -- a process in which suspects are taken to other countries and interrogated without the protection of U.S. laws. The practice is known to be used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other agencies. Frequently, the targets of ”rendition” are sent to or detained by countries known to torture prisoners.