European Court Confirms Romania Hosted CIA's Secret Bright Light Prison
Judges ruled Bucharest held Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the USS Cole bombing suspect, from 2003 to 2005, and awarded him 100,000 euros.
- Al-Nashiri, accused in the 2000 bombing of USS Cole that killed 17 sailors, was jailed there.
- The CIA ran the site, codenamed Bright Light, from September 2003 to November 2005.
- Strasbourg ruled Romania violated Articles 3, 5, 6, 8 and 13 of the Convention.
Why it matters: It took fifteen years for a court to admit what the government always knew: sovereignty was for rent.
ECHR Judgment, Al Nashiri v. Romania (Application no. 33234/12) ↗ · Sep 13, 20269/13/26