Nizar Trabelsi, a former soccer player from Tunisia, thought his nightmare was over when a US federal jury acquitted him of terrorism charges last year. But his ordeal continues. Despite his acquittal, Trabelsi remains in detention, subjected to inhumane conditions that threaten his physical and mental health.

Trabelsi’s story is one of wrongful conviction, extradition, and detention. Arrested two days after 9/11, he was convicted in Belgium and sentenced to 10 years. Extradited to the US in 2013, he spent nearly a decade in solitary confinement before his acquittal. Yet, instead of freedom, he was transferred to immigration detention, where he’s treated as an applicant for admission awaiting deportation.

The ACLU has filed a lawsuit on Trabelsi’s behalf, challenging the legality of his detention and citing violations of the US-Belgium Extradition Treaty, US immigration law, and the US Constitution. The lawsuit alleges that Trabelsi’s continued detention is not only illegal but also poses severe risks to his health.

Trabelsi’s experience is a stark reminder of the darker side of the US justice system. Despite his acquittal, he’s still paying the price for a conviction that was likely wrongful. The US government’s refusal to repatriate him to Belgium, where he was convicted, and its plans to deport him to Tunisia, where he fears torture, raise serious questions about the government’s commitment to justice and human rights.

The lawsuit seeks to hold the government accountable for Trabelsi’s inhumane treatment and ensure his safe return to Belgium. As Nicole Hallett, clinical professor of law, notes, “The government’s treatment of Mr. Trabelsi is a grave injustice and a clear violation of his constitutional rights. Our client’s ordeal has gone on way too long, and the court needs to step in.”