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[article] Irish politicians face EU probe into CIA torture allegations

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  • 13-01-2006 6:07am
    #1
    Zebra3
    Registered Users Posts: 13,878 ✭✭✭✭


    Our politicians face EU probe into CIA torture allegations

    Conor Sweeney

    in Brussels

    IRISH ministers and officials face being called before a new EU investigation into the CIA's alleged illegal transfer of prisoners for torture.

    Under the broad terms of the mandate covered by the new probe, all EU countries face answering tough questions about whether they have either been "involved" or "complicit" in any illegal activity.

    Last night, Fine Gael's Simon Coveney, who hopes to play a prominent role in the investigation, said he anticipates the Shannon issue will feature.

    "I expect that Ireland will be forced to give evidence," he said. "I expect the Government will have to establish the facts.

    "If planes are landing, refuelling and taking off from Shannon, then Ireland has involvement and if called before the committee, the Government faces being asked to explain what it does know," he said.

    The temporary committee's draft mandate will be to collect and analyse information to find out:

    * If the CIA carried out abductions to secret sites where torture or inhuman treatment of prisoners was carried out in any EU member or candidate country.

    * If countries were involved or complicit in the illegal detention.

    * Should renditions justified in the fight against terrorism be considered a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights or other international treaties.

    * If EU citizens were detained in these secret prisons. Altogether, 46 MEPs will sit on the special committee, expected to start work next week.

    It plans to continue the work started by the human rights watchdog, the Council of Europe.

    One British Labour MEP, Claude Moraes, said the main focus would be to look into the alleged CIA rendition flights and "lack sites" in countries like Poland and Romania.

    "Now the enquiry has been established, it has a remit to focus on what EU citizens are most concerned about - whether the CIA has been involved in the torture of terrorist suspects in Europe," he said.

    He said it should help establish for the first time, if there was CIA involvement or whether these secret prisons really exist.

    Claims that special flights transported al-Qa'ida suspects to Europe to be questioned were first reported in the 'Washington Post' last November. The belief is that the prisons were set up clandestinely after the terrorist attacks in the US on September 11, 2001.

    According to civil liberties group Human Rights Watch, the jails are based in Romania and Poland, although Romania's Interior Minister Vasil Blaga has flatly denied their presence in his country.

    http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1540682&issue_id=13534


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