The official report from the Council of Europe. “global ‘spider’s web’ of US detentions and transfers, alleges active collusion by Council of Europe states”
Conclusions: (via BlairWatch)
280. Our analysis of the CIA ‘rendition’ programme has revealed a network that resembles a ‘spider’s web’ spun across the globe. The analysis is based on official information provided by national and international air traffic control authorities, as well as on other information including from sources inside intelligence services, in particular the American. This ‘web’, shown in the graphic239, is composed of several landing points, which we have subdivided into different categories, and which are linked up among themselves by civilian planes used by the CIA or military aircraft.
281. These landing points are used for various purposes that range from aircraft stopovers to refuel during a mission to staging points used for the connection of different ‘rendition circuits’ that we have identified and where “rendition units” can rest and prepare missions. We have also marked the points where there are known detention centres (Guantanamo Bay, Kabul and Baghdadâ┚¬Â¦) as well as points where we believe we have been able to establish that pick-ups of rendition victims took place.
282. In two European countries only (Romania and Poland), there are two other landing points that remain to be explained. Whilst these do not fall into any of the categories described above, several indications have us believe that they are likely to form part of the ‘rendition circuits’240. These landings therefore do not form part of the 98% of CIA flights that are used solely for logistical purposes241, but rather belong to the 2% of flights that concern us the most. These corroborated facts strengthen the presumption – already based on other elements – that these landings are detainee drop-off points that are near to secret detention centres.
COE map of the ‘global spiders web’ of secret detentions and unlawful inter-state transfers
Bloggers in Britain and Europe have been on this story hard. It’s aԚ big report and there’s much in it to digest and research.
European collusion with CIA extraordinary rendition and black sites
A damming COE report on extraordinary rendition, would Mr Blair care to reconsider his position?
Blair, Labour and extraordinary rendition
Ignorance is Bliss
Rendition now leads to CIA secret detention
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and a few other NGOs, have designated June Torture Awareness Month. We’ve created a blogroll you can join if you’re interested. You can find it here. The idea is that everyone is linked to from the blogroll, and in exchange, you discuss torture (as you already do), and link to the Torture Awareness site to help support the NGOs.
There’s a lot of bloggers concerned about human rights abuse in the War on Terror. If we coordinate, we can show our support and help Amnesty and HRW make Torture Awareness Month a success.