Amal Clooney to defend Irish group that claims they were tortured by British Army

Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney is joining the defense team for a group of Irish men who claim they were tortured by the British Army in 1971.

The case of the group of 10 men, known as the Hooded Men, is going to the European Court of Human Rights. According to the BBC News, they claim that they were tortured in August 1971 in Northern Ireland.

They say they were beaten,deprived of sleep, food and water and forced to listen to loud noises. Some also claim they were thrown from helicopters with hoods covered and told they were falling from hundreds of feet in the air when they were really just 20 feet above the ground.

As People notes, their treatment was originally determined to be “degrading” but not torture by the European Court in 1978. However, the case is heading back after the Irish Government backed an attempt to get their treatment officially called torture.

“We think Amal's track record speaks for itself, as do all of the counsels' CVs in this case. It is an extremely rare application, an interstate case before the European Court.,” solicitor Darragh Mackin told the BBC. “Therefore it is very significant that we have people with the background and experience of Amal and the other barristers who are involved making this application.”

Clooney is also the wife of actor George Clooney. That added fame has resulted in her being asked questions that have nothing to do with her profession.

image via Peter West/ACE/INFphoto.com