Somali Torture Victim: Damages Hearing In Columbus A Relief

A human rights advocate tortured in Somalia in the 1980s says he's relieved to have finally had his day in court. Abukar Hassan Ahmed says his appearance before a federal judge in Columbus last week for a damages hearing sends the message that justice is universal. Ahmed tells The Associated Press that his experience should give hope to all victims of torture and also help with the reconciliation process in Somalia. Federal judge George Smith previously ruled that Abdi Aden Magan, a former Somali military colonel who later lived in Columbus, was responsible for Ahmed's torture. Magan initially fought the 2010 lawsuit brought by the San Francisco-based Center for Justice and Accountability but stopped participating last year and now lives in Kenya.