Britain apologises for 'appalling treatment' of Abdel Hakim Belhaj - May 11, 2018 | World news | The Guardian
theguardian.com Britain apologises for 'appalling treatment' of Abdel Hakim Belhaj | World news Pippa Crerar Theresa May has issued an unprecedented apology for Britain’s role in the “appalling” treatment of a Libyan dissident and his wife, who were victims of a rendition operation mounted with the help of MI6. The prime minister wrote to Abdel Hakim Belhaj and his wife, Fatima Boudchar, to apologise unreservedly on behalf of the government for its failings over the case and missed opportunities to end their ordeal. The attorney general, Jeremy Wright, read out May’s letter in the Commons as he announced that Boudchar, who was pregnant when the couple were kidnapped, would receive £500,000 compensation for the UK’s role in her treatment. Belhaj has neither sought, nor received, a financial settlement. Boudchar and their 13-year-old son Abderrahim travelled to London and watched from the public gall