Danish authorities have been accused of torturing at least three individuals abroad, including one man who says he was kidnapped in broad daylight after refusing to spy on behalf of the country's Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET), according to reports Wednesday.
According to Al Jazeera, Lebanese-born Ali Ibrahim claims PET repeatedly tried to recruit him to spy on his brother, who allegedly has links to the militant organization Fatah al-Islam, which administers a Palestinian refugee camp.
When Ibrahim turned down the overtures and said he would leave Denmark, he alleged a PET agent told him, “Where do think you will go? We have friends all over the world. Do you want to go to Lebanon? We have friends there too.”
A year later, Ibrahim alleged he was kidnapped during a visit to Lebanon, and subsequently tortured and held in a Lebanese prison.
“The brutal torture I received was not the worst. Some experience much harsher torture methods. I consider myself lucky. Others were raped,” he stated.
The allegations were revealed in an Al Jazeera investigation into claims Danish authorities “outsourced” the torture of a number of Arab men to Lebanon.
“Al Jazeera understands that the men are among dozens of Danish citizens of Arab or Muslim origin who were approached by PET between 2001 and 2010,” the report stated.
Both Denmark's PET and Lebanese officials have denied the allegations. While Denmark enjoys an international reputation for high human rights standards, in the past, Lebanon has been accused of collaborating with Western intelligence organizations.
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