US urged to account for up to 38 "CIA prisoners"

LONDON, Feb 28 (Reuters) Several dozen terrorism suspects believed to have been held at secret CIA prisons are still missing without trace, and the United States should reveal what has happened to them, a leading rights group said.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged President George W Bush in an open letter to disclose the identity, fate and whereabouts of all prisoners held at secret CIA facilities since 2001.

''As you may know, the CIA's detention programme has inflicted great harm on the reputation, moral standing and integrity of the United States,'' HRW wrote to Bush yesterday.

''By revealing information about the fate and whereabouts of people formerly held in CIA custody, you could begin to repair the damage this abusive program has caused.'' Secret abduction and detention of suspects has been one of the most controversial and fiercely criticised aspects of Bush's war on terrorism, with rights groups arguing such methods are illegal and frequently lead to abuse and torture.

Bush acknowledged last September that the Central Intelligence Agency had run a secret detention programme for terrorist suspects and strongly defended it, saying the intelligence gleaned had saved lives.

Washington said at the time that the last 14 prisoners held had been transferred to its detention centre at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, and none remained in CIA custody.

But HRW said many people remained unaccounted for. In the letter to Bush, it listed 38 missing people it believed had been, or may have been, held in secret CIA prisons.

Among those on the list: -- Hassan Ghul, a suspected al Qaeda operative whose capture in Iraq was announced by Bush in January 2004.

-- Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan, a Pakistani whose arrest in Lahore in July 2004 triggered security alerts at financial targets in New York, New Jersey and Washington and helped Britain crack a suspected al Qaeda sleeper cell.

-- Mustafa Setmariam Nasar, a Syrian holding a Spanish passport who is wanted in Spain for possible links to the 2004 Madrid bombings. Pakistani intelligence sources told Reuters last year he had been caught and handed to the United States.

HRW said it was possible some of the missing people had been moved to foreign prisons but remained for practical purposes under CIA control.

Or they might have been transferred out of CIA custody to countries where ''the torture of terrorism suspects is common'', it said, citing Algeria, Egypt, Libya and Syria.

''If they are being held in proxy detention in a third country, the US government should either transfer them to the United States for prosecution in US courts, or order their release,'' HRW said.

''To leave these men in hidden limbo violates fundamental human rights norms.'' REUTERS SBA RN0554