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Hate Preacher Abu Hamza Is Suing US Jail For 'Violation Of His Human Rights'

Hate Preacher Abu Hamza Is Suing US Jail For 'Violation Of His Human Rights'

You didn’t think being in a maximum security prison was going to stop Abu Hamza from hitting the headlines, did you?

EMS 7

EMS 7

You didn't think being in a maximum security prison was going to stop Abu Hamza from hitting the headlines, did you?

The once-ubiquitous hate preacher is doing the rounds this week for suing US authorities over what he claims to be 'cruel' conditions at the ADX penitentiary in Colorado, reports the Evening Standard.

PA

The former imam of London's Finsbury Park mosque is currently serving a life sentence at the American prison for terrorism charges.

However, he's filed a civil lawsuit against attorney general William Barr over claims he's being deprived of sunlight in his isolated cell.

He is also reportedly suffering from 'stress and anxiety' due to the fact that he's not been allowed family visits since 2012, when he was extradited from the UK to New York for his trial.

On top of that, the one-eyed Egyptian cleric - also known as Hook Hand for obvious reasons -

says that the removal of his prosthesis means he has to tear open packages with his rotting teeth.

The 62-year-old's complaint document states: "Plaintiff lost three teeth just to the opening of pouches. All front teeth are worn out and painful. Some nerves can be seen."

It also adds that he's been suffering "cruel and unusual conditions in prolonged, continuous, dangerous solitary confinement since 2012".

However, the defendants, including Barr and the head of the US prison service, argue that the lawsuit should be dropped by the justice system. The case is ongoing.

PA

Hamza was convicted in 2014 of 11 terrorism charges, including involvement in the 1998 kidnapping of 16 tourists in Yemen, providing material support to terrorists and attempting to create a terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon, in 1999.

This isn't the first time he's spoken out against this issue. Back in 2018, after two years in solitary confinement in the US, the former hate preacher launched a similar appeal stating that his prison conditions are in violation of his human rights.

His lawyer issued a statement at the time that read: "'We strongly believe that the conditions of his confinement violate the expectations of the European Convention on Human Rights and the promises that were made by the US government to the [British and European] courts as part of the extradition process."

Speaking about UK-based HMP Belmarsh prison, where Hamza was kept until his extradition, the lawyer added that he "would go back to Belmarsh in a second if he could".

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Topics: terrorism, criminal, UK, Prison, US