UK ‘pays substantial sum’ to tortured Guantánamo Bay detainee

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Julian Borger Senior international correspondentJanuary 11, 2026 at 11:00 PM

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The UK government has paid a "substantial sum" to Abu Zubaydah, a Guantánamo Bay detainee, settling a lawsuit alleging British complicity in his rendition and torture. Zubaydah's legal team accused UK intelligence services of providing questions to the CIA while he was being tortured in CIA "black sites" between 2002 and 2006. Two UK parliamentary reports from 2018 revealed that MI5 and MI6 had fed questions to the CIA knowing Zubaydah was being tortured. Zubaydah, a stateless Palestinian, has been held at Guantánamo Bay without charge since his capture in Pakistan in 2002. The UK Supreme Court cleared the way for Zubaydah's civil claim in December 2023. While the settlement amount remains undisclosed, Zubaydah's lawyers emphasized its symbolic importance in acknowledging the UK's role in his suffering.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Morocco 30% Thailand 30% Afghanistan 30% Poland 30% Lithuania 30% MI6 50% MI5 50% United States ×460% Central Intelligence Agency ×370% Guantánamo Bay ×370% UK ×680% Abu Zubaydah (Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn) ×890%

Keywords

abu zubaydah 100% torture 90% guantánamo bay 90% uk complicity 80% legal settlement 70% cia black sites 70% rendition 60% enhanced interrogation techniques 50% war on terror 40% international law 40%