Torture flights: EU governments create suspicion of complicity

5.27.16pm GMT Thu 23rd Feb 2006

European governments have only themselves to blame, through their culture of secrecy, if they are suspected of collusion with US human rights abuses such as CIA torture flights and secret jails.

Liberal Democrat MEP Baroness Sarah Ludford, vice-chair of the European Parliament's committee investigating 'extraordinary rendition' activities in Europe, makes this comment in the light of the cover-up of a 3 year old document entitled 'New Transatlantic Agenda', about a EU-US meeting on justice and home affairs.

The EU Council of Ministers refuses to make this January 2003 document fully public but civil liberties NGO Statewatch has obtained and published the original version, without the deletions of the version on the Council website. This allows identification of the sections judged by EU governments as too sensitive for MEPs or the public to see.

Sarah Ludford said:

"Talk about shooting yourself in the foot! If governments keep secret innocuous material about transatlantic cooperation, they can hardly be surprised if suspicion is aroused by a reference to 'increased (US) use of European transit facilities to support the return of criminal/inadmissible aliens'."

"It is entirely legitimate to have EU-US cooperation in combating terrorism and serious crime. But EU governments refuse to permit proper parliamentary scrutiny which can ensure this respects fundamental rights."

"They therefore have a real difficulty in convincing MEPs not to regard agreement on 'increased use of European transit facilities' as collusion in US illegal rendition, torture and disappearances."

ENDS

Note: both versions of the document can be read on the Statewatch website http://www.statewatch.org/news/2005/dec/05eu-usa-flights.htm

Tony Bunyan of Statewatch has given evidence today to the European Parliament committee.