Investigator Finds Europe ‘Complicit Over CIA Jails’

Guest blogged by David Edwards

Dick Marty, a Swiss Senator, is leading the Council of Europe’s inquiry into reports that the C.I.A. operated secret prisons in several European countries. Marty is also looking into other C.I.A. activities including the use of European airports and airbases for U.S. rendition flights along with kidnappings and torture on European soil.

Investigators are scheduled to complete a preliminary report on January 23rd. Dick Marty gave a press conference where he shared some of his early conclusions.

Marty accuses the U.S. of violating civil rights. He also says that European leaders have known about the U.S. crimes. Several European leaders are complicit because of their “shocking” passivity. Marty has no doubt that the secret prisons exist and that the U.S. activities in Europe are illegal.

BBC has documented more of Dick Marty’s allegations in this article and the following video report.


Video in Streaming Flash format…
Video in Windows Media format…

7 Responses

  1. Wow, thanks for keeping us informed about this, David.

    Just 1 week ago the main headline of the Irish Times was that the EU has determined that Ireland must investigate who/what is on the flights coming through Shannon Airport. (There have been reports from plane-spotters that some of the flights that had stopovers in Shannon continued to destinations where there were allegations of CIA torture facilities in other EU countries.) They said Ireland had to inspect for itself, and not just take the USA’s word for who or what was or wasn’t on board.

    Scotland is coming in for criticism for similar reasons.

    I don’t sense that any of this is getting reported much in the States.

  4. Yes, Rice was less convincing than Powell was. And European populations are majorly against Bush and his regime.

    I hope they do not loose patience with us or associate us with this regime.

    Like the Dixie Chicks who were embarrased that the president was from their state, many of us are embarrased that Bush is president of the US.

    It hurts our reputation among our neighbors in the world, and makes them think Americans are unrelenting imperialists.

  5. There are plenty of civilians everywhere doing things to keep an eye on, to reveal and to stop the bad things that Bush & Co are doing. With this report I suppose we have to say that Bush & Co extends further than we had suspected (to Europe). I have suspected for some time that there are some, perhaps many in the American Congress who are sympathizers with Bush & Co who stay quiet because they agree with the current foreign policy of Dubya.

    Where in this is democracy? Where in this is the informed electorate? Have all those people gone nuts in tacking toward this policy direction and away from our Modern Democracies?

    Have they lost all faith in the American people (and the European peoples) to listen to their arguments (in public debates and speeches) for these policies, for fear the public will reject their policies and them?

    Elitists, who needs ’em? Gimme a democrat any time.