Thomas says torture threat made him talk

Australia: "The closed court testimony of convicted terrorism suspect Jack Thomas has been released and in it he alleged he was threatened with torture and electrocution which left him with no choice but to speak to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) on the record.

"His lawyers will contest the 2003 interview's admissibility and conviction in the Court of Appeal later this month.

"Thomas's testimony explains why he agreed to the interview without legal representation, by detailing the atmosphere of his previous six interrogations.

"He says a Pakistani officer threatened to execute him, saying 'we'll strip you, pour water over you and electrocute you if you don't tell the truth'.

"An American officer he believed was from the CIA threatened to send agents to rape his wife saying, "she must be lonely by now".

"He says an American official asked him to act as a spy in Al Qaeda safe houses and when he refused, threatened to torture him and to send agents to rape his wife.

"Thomas's testimony states: 'When there's a superpower on one side of a little table and you're with handcuffs behind your back, you have no choice but to cooperate.'"

Tagged: usa, australia, cia, torture, war+on+terror, human+rights, civil+rights