Five years from the European Parliament's report into alleged European collusion with CIA 'extraordinary rendition' (kidnap and secret illegal detention) developed as part of Bush "war on terror", the Civil Liberties committee voted today on an update report. This addresses the extent to which Member States, Council and Commission have complied with their obligations to carry out full inquiries to ascertain and secure accountability for complicity in human rights abuses
ALDE spokesperson in the Civil Liberties committee Sophie in't Veld (D66, The Netherlands) said: "Europe loses credibility and moral authority unless it comes clean about its own role in the CIA renditions and black sites programme. The continued silence of the Member States, their continued refusal to investigate, is a disgrace. There should be no impunity for violations of human rights and international law".
"This is not about any particular Member State. Europe has collectively decided to support the CIA programme, so there must be collective accountability. This report is not about finding new proof. The overall picture of European collusion is clear for all to see. This report is about accountability". The report calls on Member States to assume their responsibility, on the Council to support the truth-finding and accountability process in Member States while issuing a declaration acknowledging and apologising for their involvement in the CIA programme and on the Commission to adopt within a year a framework for supporting the national accountability process.
The author of the opinion on behalf of the Foreign Affairs committee Sarah Ludford (Lib Dems, UK) added: "There has been little progress in national inquiries into rendition allegations and those that have taken place have been far from full and independent. While investigations may only be capable of completion once the US fully cooperates in disclosing information on rendition practices, Member States must not invoke spurious claims of 'state secrecy' to keep transgressions hidden.
"The EU should protest about the treatment of individuals such as Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri who is facing an unfair military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay and potentially the death penalty. It must also ensure that human rights are centre-stage when negotiating intelligence-sharing or other agreements with other countries. Where there is a risk of torture, unenforceable diplomatic assurances cannot be relied on as a basis for deportation. If we don’t uphold these principles then a torture-free world will remain out of reach”, she concluded.
