Let me clarify some of the nuances concerning the litigation. When we first sued on behalf of Sabrina in May 2009 the defendants were the Department of State (to invoke immunity) and Department of Justice (to provide private Italian legal defense counsel). The lawsuit resulted in the US Government agreeing to retain Italian defense counsel for Sabrina to argue on her behalf, and it continues to do so as part of the pending appeal.  In November 2009 the Italian court convicted Sabrina and the other Americans (except for three Foreign Service Officers who suddenly were accorded diplomatic immunity, more on this later). In response to this event we asked the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia to allow us to amend Sabrina's Complaint to include the CIA as a defendant. The factual basis for doing so was purely publicly available information (in fact, we cited to all the articles in the Amended Complaint to address the specific sources) that the Italian prosecutor had asserted, and the Court had so concluded, that Sabrina was CIA and the rendition was a CIA operation. Therefore, because U.S. civil proceedings allow lawyers to argue/present alternative theories, we added a claim that stated if the CIA was, in fact, responsible for what happened in Italy than it was liable to Sabrina for ruining her career in government. Again, based on purely publicly available sources.  Now, on the immunity issue for the three U.S. Foreign Service Officers based in Rome, the fact that they were accorded immunity is fascinating. Foreign courts/governments do not simply apply immunity to diplomats out of the blue. There is a process that needs to take place and the invocation of immunity has to arise from the Sending State, ie., the US in this instance. Yet the US Government claims not to have invoked on their behalf, although some non-US Government sources have told us that is not true. That the State Department refuses to respond to any reporter's inquiry on this issue is astounding. The Italian Courts are still contemplating whether immunity will be permitted.
Ex-CIA operative Sabrina De Sousa discussed what is has been like being an international fugitive, and what her future holds.