As the long-delayed 9/11 case moves towards trial, evidence of torture at a CIA black site in Bucharest is putting Romania's role in the 'war on terror' under scrutiny
Ben Keith comments for Middle East Eye: Romania's Secret CIA Prison: Two Decades of Denial and Unanswered Questions. The article was first published in Middle East Eye on 11 September 2026.
"It's not always possible to say which bit of torture took place because they were tortured for days and weeks, but you don’t detain somebody in a black site with the purpose of just talking to them."
Ben Keith has been quoted by Middle East Eye in an article examining Romania’s alleged role in the CIA’s secret detention and interrogation programme.
Ben, alongside Sophia Kerridge, represents Ammar al-Baluchi in proceedings concerning his detention at the CIA’s Romanian black site.
The article, Romania’s secret CIA prison: Two decades of denial and unanswered questions, explores the history of the secret facility, the allegations surrounding its operation and the continuing calls for accountability.
Ben comments on the failure to properly investigate those responsible for the operation and the ongoing legal proceedings concerning Mr al-Baluchi.
Read the full article in Middle East Eye.
Ben Keith is a leading barrister specialising in cross-border and international cases. He deals with all aspects of extradition, immigration, human rights, mutual legal assistance, Interpol, financial crime and international law, including sanctions. He represents governments, political and military leaders, high net worth individuals, human rights defenders and business leaders in the most sensitive cases. He is a leading authority on the removal of Interpol Red Notices for worldwide clients. He edits the Red Notice Monitor blog.
Ben has extensive experience of appellate proceedings before the Administrative and Divisional Courts, Civil and Criminal Divisions of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court as well as applications and appeals to the European Court of Human Rights and the United Nations.
Ben has significant expertise in post-soviet states, as well the Middle East and the Far East.
He is ranked in Chambers and Partners as a star leader in the field of extradition at the London Bar and in The Legal 500 as a Tier 1 leading individual in extradition. Ben is also ranked in Chambers and Partners in the field of immigration and in its Financial Crime: High Net Worth Individuals rankings. He is recognised in The Spears’ 500 2024 Guide as a ‘Recommended Immigration Law Barrister’.
