Pakistanis speak of abduction ordeal

Published December 20, 2005

ATHENS, Dec 19: Eight Pakistani immigrants who claim they were illegally abducted and interrogated in Greece after the July London bombings, have given testimony of their ordeal despite an official denial of their story, a prosecutor said on Monday.

The immigrants testified to criminal investigators on Sunday that they were taken from their respective homes in Athens shortly after the London attacks by men who spoke Greek and said they were police officers, prosecuting magistrate Nikos Vegaitis told news media.

The eight reported having been interrogated about potential acquaintances in Britain and detained for varying lengths of time in a country house after being taken blindfolded on a journey of about an hour and a half, according to the prosecuting magistrate.

The immigrants were not blindfolded and suffered no physical violence during the interrogations, they said.

The prosecutor said he wanted to hear evidence from other suspected victims — some 28 in total according to Javed Aslam, head of the Unity of Pakistan Community Association in Athens — as well as Greek secret service representatives.

Mr Aslam, who filed the original complaint in July, had accused the British secret services of involvement, though the immigrants made no mention of the presence of foreigners at their interrogation.

The British authorities have denied all involvement in the alleged incident.—AFP

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