June 7, 2006 - 12:23
PM
Europe colluded with CIA on secret
prisons
swissinfo with agencies
A Swiss investigator says more than a dozen
European countries colluded in a "global spider's web" of secret CIA prisons and
transfers of terrorism suspects.
Dick Marty, looking into the affair for the human rights
watchdog, the Council of Europe, said seven nations played an active role and
others, including Switzerland, turned a blind eye.
"It is now clear... that authorities in several European countries actively
participated with the CIA in these unlawful activities. Other countries ignored
them knowingly, or did not want to know," Marty said, who did not spare
Switzerland from his criticism.
In a 67-page explanatory memorandum to
his report made public in Paris on Wednesday, the Swiss senator said there were
corroborated facts strengthening the presumption that landing points in Romania
and Poland were detainee drop-off points near to secret detention
centres.
"Even if proof, in the classical meaning of the term, is not as
yet available, a number of coherent and converging elements indicate that such
secret detention centres did indeed exist in Europe." He said these elements
warranted further investigation.
Marty said he
used evidence from national and international air traffic control authorities,
as well as sources inside intelligence services, including in the United States,
to compile a detailed picture of a global system of secret detentions and
unlawful transfers.
He listed seven Council of Europe member states which
could be held responsible, in varying degrees, for violations of the rights of
specific individuals. They are: Sweden, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Britain, Italy, the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany and Turkey.
Swiss accusations
Several more colluded, actively or passively, in the detention or transfer of
unknown persons, including Switzerland.
He accused the Swiss government
of having "deliberately ignored allegations" of suspect aircraft transiting
through the country's airspace which were eventually confirmed by Swiss Federal
Aviation Office.
He also said the government had recently "deliberately
failed to execute an international arrest warrant brought by the Italian
judicial authorities" following the CIA's abduction of a suspect in
Milan.
The man wanted by Italy, who Marty said was the head of the CIA
operation in Milan at the time of the abduction, was staying in Geneva when the
arrest warrant was issued.
He said the Swiss police had been "ordered to
merely carry out discrete surveillance", which the investigator concluded,
"rekindles the criticism directed at the [Swiss] authorities, which are accused
of slavish obedience towards the United States".
He also questioned
Switzerland's decision in February to extend permission to the end of this year
for overflights by non-commercial US aircraft.
The US request was granted
after Switzerland won assurances from Washington that no prisoners had been
transported through Swiss airspace. Marty doubted the "credibility" of the
assurances "in light of the established facts".
In response to the
accusations, the Swiss government said it would take action if an internal
investigation by the Federal Prosecutor's Office uncovered evidence that the
country's airspace had indeed been violated.
Foreign ministry spokesman
Jean-Philippe Jeannerat said Switzerland has always clearly stated its
opposition to such extrajudicial actions contravening human rights and criminal
law.
KEY FACTS
- The Swiss Federal Civil Aviation Office confirmed that six
suspected CIA flights landed in Switzerland.
- In addition, 76 flights were made over Switzerland by US
planes suspected of being used by the CIA between 2001 and January 2006.
- The aviation office said these were registered as
non-commercial flights.
__._,_.___
Complete archives at http://www.sitbot.net/
Please let us stay on topic and be civil.
OM
![]()
SPONSORED LINKS
YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
__,_._,___
|
