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August 21, 2008 6:12:44 PM CDT

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Film Rendition Gets it Right, Says Gitmo Lawyer

Posted Oct 17, 07 2:04 PM CDT in World,  Politics,  Arts & Living,  US 

(Newser) – Rendition, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon, is a "surprisingly courageous" and accurate film, says a lawyer for Guantanamo Bay prisoners. The movie tells the story of an Egyptian man abducted and tortured by the CIA in Egypt. "Now, will we persuade the world in a moment? No," says Clive Stafford Smith, noting the media's important role in shaping public opinion.

Stafford Smith works for a charity representing more than 40 Guantanamo inmates. Rendition nails details, he says, such as how names are deleted from flight records and how close family members start to wonder if victims really do have terrorist ties. The film echoes many real-life examples, such as that of Canadian Maher Arar, who was deported and tortured in Syria.

Source Reuters

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US military personnel keep watch over a cell block at camp 6 maximum-security facility on Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2007. Many of the detainees at Guantanamo have been held...   (Associated Press)
This image provided by New Line Cinema shows Meryl Streep, left, and Alan Arkin, right, in "Rendition." (AP Photo/New Line Cinema, Sam Emerson)   (Associated Press)
Actor Jake Gyllenhaal arrives to the premiere of "Rendition" in Beverly Hills, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)   (Associated Press)
A detainee walks into his cell at the detention compound on Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba, Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007. The U.S. military is reviewing its decision to classify hundreds of Guantanamo...   (Associated Press)
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movie  • Guantanamo Bay  • rendition  • Reese Witherspoon  • Jake Gyllenhaal


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