US "rendition" for torture illegal under UK law. Is it legal here?

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Thursday January 19, 2006 15:14

by watcher

A few pertinent questions for the Irish government

Rendition of suspects by the US is illegal under UK law, according to a leaked document given to the New Statesman. The full document is at the last link below.

Some questions arise for the Irish government, civil service, Gardai and Irish army, who shamefully make us complicit in serious breaches of human rights law.

A) Why has the Government refused access to information on this subject under the Freedom of Information Act?

B) What has been the legal advice on US stopovers in Shannon given to the Irish government?

C) Minister for Foreign Affairs Ahern lied in the Dail on January 26th 2005 that the state was a party to any secret international agreement. Labour's Micheal D. Higgins later revealed two secret defence agreements:

1. The “Agreement concerning security measures for the protection of classified military information”. Signed at Dublin on the 31st January 2003, and entered into force on that date.

2. The “Acquisition and cross-servicing agreement, with annexes”, signed at Stuttgart-Vaihingen (US European Command HQ) and Dublin on the 26th and 27th February, 2004, entering into force on the later date.

What are nature of these agreements and why were they not laid before the democratic arm of the state, as is required by the Irish constitution?

More:

Secret payments for US landings, as reported by The Phoenix:
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=73809

Secret Irish Defence Agreements Linked to CIA Torture Revealed:
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=73761

Text of an ignored criminal complaint made about redition flights made at Shannon airport to Gardai on 2nd October 2004:

http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=67865