US: At least 11 al-Qaeda suspects have "disappeared" in US custody, and some may have been tortured, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.
The prisoners are probably being held outside the United States without access to the Red Cross or any overview of their treatment, the human rights group said. In some cases, the US will not even acknowledge the prisoners are in custody.
The report said the prisoners include the alleged architect of the September 11th attacks, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, as well as Abu Zubaydah, believed to be a close aide to Osama bin Laden.
In refusing to disclose the prisoners' whereabouts or acknowledge the detentions, Human Rights Watch said the US government has violated international law, international treaties and the Geneva Convention.
The group called on the government to bring all the prisoners "under the protection of the law". "I think the US demeans itself when it adopts the philosophy that the ends justify the means in the fight against terror," said Mr Reed Brody, special counsel with Human Rights Watch.
CIA spokesman Mr Mark Mansfield said the agency has not seen the report and declined to comment.
The report, titled "The United States' 'Disappeared': The CIA's Long-term 'Ghost Detainees'", was released last night and said many of the prisoners have provided valuable intelligence to US officials.
But it also cited reports that some detainees have lied under pressure to please their interrogators.