Appeals Court Says Proof of Torture Is Legitimate Government Secret

James Vicini for AP reports: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit against former CIA Director George Tenet and 10 CIA employees by a German who says he was kidnapped and tortured by the U.S. spy agency about three years ago. A unanimous three-judge panel of the appeals court based in Richmond, Virginia, agreed with U.S. government arguments that moving forward with the lawsuit by Khaled el-Masri, a German of Lebanese origin, would pose a risk of exposing state secrets. The appeals court upheld a federal judge's ruling that dismissed the lawsuit that seeks at least $75,000 in damages. (…) The case has drawn worldwide attention to the U.S. "extraordinary rendition" policy in which terrorism suspects have been sent from one foreign country to another for interrogation. (…) The appeals court said if the lawsuit were to go forward, it would involve the roles played by the defendants in the operation. Well, duh! The "roles played by the defendants in the operation" would be what's called "evidence."