Eight terror suspects flown to secret jails in Ethiopia a year and a half ago for questioning, some of them by American agents, will return to Kenya, a police spokesman said Friday.
Eric Kiraithe did not say why the men were being repatriated or whether they would face charges when they return on Monday.
Al Amin Kimathi of the Kenya Muslim Human Rights Forum welcomed their return but said it was outrageous the eight had been held for so long without charge. He said the men were ready to face any charges in a Kenyan court.
Dozens of terror suspects were arrested in Kenya in early 2007 after the fall of an Islamist administration in Somalia. The suspects were flown to Ethiopia and some were questioned by American agents. Most have been released without charge.
We are looking forward to full disclosures from the Ethiopians, Kenyans and Americans, Kimathi said.
A ninth Kenyan arrested separately but held in the same prison will not be returning, Kiraithe said. The fate of seven other Kenyans remains unknown.
The plight of the detainees was publicized this week in a report by New York-based Human Rights Watch called Why am I still here?
Some of the detainees quoted described torture that included having toenails pulled and being stabbed, as well as being questioned by American agents.
Ethiopia is frequently criticized for its poor human rights record but is a key ally of the U.S. in the war on terror.