Rendition Victim Khaled El-Masri Tortured with Enemas in CIA 'Salt Pit' Jail

A German man who was mistakenly snatched by the CIA and taken to and Afghan jail will have his case heard by the European Court of Human Rights.

In a case that lifted the lid on the actions of CIA black operatives in cases of "extraordinary rendition" Khalid el-Masri, 48, was wrongfully arrested at the Macedonian border in 2004.

He was allegedly then handed over to the CIA and flown to a Afghan jail, known as the "salt pit", before he was dumped on a mountain road in Albania.

During the time he was held captive he was blindfolded, beaten and given an enema. The German citizen, of Lebanese descent, spent 149 days in captivity. It is thought that he was mistaken for Khaled al-Masri, who has ties to the September 11 hijackers.

El-Masri also innocently attended a mosque in Ulm Bavaria, his home town, which is under surveillance due to connections with enlisting fighters in Chechnya.

According to Masri's lawyers, he has never received a formal apology for his treatment, nor any compensation or explanation.

The ECHR in Strasbourg will hear the case, with a panel of 17 judges, in the first full hearing on the merits of his claims.

The Macedonian government, which has repeatedly denied handing el-Masri over to the CIA, has been accused of doing so as a favour which earned the then head of the intelligence service to be given an award at the CIA headquarters, in Langley.

The Telegraph has revealed that the court will be expected to see evidence that a former senior minister of the Macedonian government has provided evidence confirming El-Masri's allegations.

A team of lawyers from the Open Society Justice initiative will represent El-Masri, whose attempted to sue the CIA in 2006, but was blocked by laws over state secrets.

El-Masri has said that all he seeks is an "explanation and an apology", although it is thought that the Macedonian government could be ordered to pay compensation.