A prominent British human rights barrister, who has fought high-profile cases in Hong Kong, has joined the legal team preparing to sue the government over its alleged role in secretly sending a Libyan dissident and his family to the torture chambers of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Senior counsel Paul Harris said he was confident Sami al-Saadi had a strong case, given the cache of classified papers unearthed in Tripoli, which implicate security officials in Hong Kong alongside British, American and Libyan spy agencies in the illegal extradition.
"The documents I've seen show a very strong case," he said.
"They clearly indicate the British and Hong Kong governments' involvement in sending Mr Saadi and his family back to Libya where it was overwhelmingly likely that he would be tortured or worse."
Saadi was jailed for six years and says he was repeatedly beaten, subjected to electric shocks and threatened with death. He was only freed when Gaddafi was ousted in August last year. He reportedly weighed just 44kg and was close to death.
Harris said the British government's decision this month to pay Saadi and his family £2.2 million (HK$25 million) in compensation - without admitting any liability - reflected the seriousness of the allegations. "It's a substantial sum and an indication of how strong the case is," he said.