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The
War Profiteers - War Crimes, Kidnappings & Torture |
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The CIA in Europe - Kidnappings and
Secret Detentions |
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Archive on EU and National Government
& NGO Reports - Year 2009 |
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February 19th, 2009 - Extraordinary
renditions: EU Member states are also responsible Press Release from
the European Parliament “[…] As recent developments confirm that EU governments have been
involved in extraordinary renditions, EU Member states bear a share of moral
responsibility for detentions in Guantánamo, the European Parliament says in
a resolution adopted with 334 votes in favour, 247 against and 86
abstentions. The resolution makes reference to statements by the British
government on the matter. The text was tabled by the PES, ALDE, Greens/EFA
and GUE/NGL groups. “The resolution recalls the statements by the UK Foreign Secretary on
two US extraordinary rendition flights carrying two prisoners that landed on
UK territory in 2002 and the compiling of a list of suspect flights that
would be sent to US authorities to request specific assurances that they had
not been used for rendition, as well as the statements by the Prime Minister
in this regard; the referral by the UK Home Secretary to the Attorney General
of the question of possible 'criminal wrongdoing' by MI5 and the CIA in
relation to Binyam Mohamed's treatment. “The resolution also recalls the High Court's ruling of 5 February
2009 that it was unable to order the disclosure of information about the
alleged torture of Binyam Mohamed
because the UK Foreign Secretary asserted that the UK was threatened
by the US with the blocking of intelligence-sharing about terrorism, and the
legal challenge to the ruling based on doubts about the veracity of that
assertion. […]” February 4th, 2009 - Promotion and
Protection of all Human Rights Report by the
Special Rapporteur to the United Nations “51. The Special Rapporteur remains deeply troubled that the United
States has created a comprehensive system of extraordinary renditions,
prolonged and secret detention, and practices that violate the prohibition
against torture and other forms of ill-treatment. This system required an
international web of exchange of information and has created a corrupted body
of information which was shared systematically with partners in the war on
terror through intelligence cooperation, thereby corrupting the institutional
culture of the legal and institutional systems of recipient States. “52. While this system was devised and put in place by the United
States, it was only possible through collaboration from many other States.
There exist consistent, credible reports suggesting that at least until May
2007 a number of States facilitated extraordinary renditions in various ways.
States such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Georgia, Indonesia,
Kenya, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Pakistan and the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have provided intelligence or
have conducted the initial seizure of an individual before he was transferred
to (mostly unacknowledged) detention centres in Afghanistan, Egypt, Ethiopia,
Jordan, Pakistan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, Thailand, Uzbekistan,
or to one of the CIA covert detention centres, often referred to as ‘black
sites’. In many cases, the receiving States reportedly engaged in torture and
other forms of ill-treatment of these detainees. “53. The Special Rapporteur reminds States that they are responsible
where they knowingly engage in, render aid to or assist in the commission of
internationally wrongful acts, including violations of human rights.
Accordingly, grave human rights violations by States such as torture,
enforced disappearances or arbitrary detention should therefore place serious
constraints on policies of cooperation by States, including by their
intelligence agencies, with States that are known to violate human rights.
The prohibition against torture is an absolute and peremptory norm of
international law. States must not aid or assist in the commission of acts of
torture, or recognize such practices as lawful, including by relying on
intelligence information obtained through torture. States must introduce
safeguards preventing intelligence agencies from making use of such
intelligence. […]” February 3rd, 2009 - MEPs Debate Closure
of Guantanamo Prison Camp & CIA Rendition Flights Press Release from
the European Parliament “[…] In a joint debate, MEPs debated Guantanamo Bay prisoner camp and
CIA renditions flights. Many MEPs called on Member states to facilitate the
closure of the facility within one year (as announced by the new Obama
administration) by accepting detainees while, at the same time, ensuring that
detainees are not sent to countries where they could be persecuted. During
tis legislative period, MEPs repeatedly called on the US to close the
Guantanamo camp. […]” January 22nd, 2009 - Executive Orders
13491, 13492 & 13493 Compilation of 3
presidential documents filed at the U.S. Federal Register “[…] Sec. 4. Prohibition of Certain Detention
Facilities, and Red Cross Access to Detained Individuals. “(a) CIA Detention. The CIA shall close as
expeditiously as possible any detention facilities that it currently operates
and shall not operate any such detention facility in the future. “(b) International Committee of the Red Cross Access
to Detained Individuals. All departments and agencies of the Federal
Government shall provide the International Committee of the Red Cross with
notification of, and timely access to, any individual detained in any armed
conflict in the custody or under the effective control of an officer,
employee, or other agent of the United States Government or detained within a
facility owned, operated, or controlled by a department or agency of the
United States Government, consistent with Department of Defense regulations
and policies. […]” |
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