CIA's 'ghost prisoners' spark rights concerns

AFP, Washington
The official wall of silence surrounding the Central Intelligence Agency's so-called 'ghost prisoners' who are being held at secret locations has sparked legal concerns here among human rights groups that denounce the practice as abusive.

It is not publically known exactly how many ghost detainees the CIA is holding, who they are or where they are held, but senior Al-Qaeda figures are known to be among their ranks, including Ramzi bin al-Shaibh and Khalid Sheik Mohammed.

Shaibh is one of the presumed coordinators behind the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, while Mohammed was al-Qaeda's third highest ranking member prior to his arrest.