Shannon Airport - a pitstop for CIA torturers ? : Amnesty International activists protest in Galway

by Jameen Kaur - Amnesty International Mon Feb 06, 2006 16:51 - -

PLEASE SIGN WITH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS. WE WILL BE OUTSIDE LYNCH'S CASTLE, SHOP STREET GALWAY. FROM TUESDAY 7 FEB - SATURDAY 11TH FEB. AND EACH SAT IN THE MONTH OF FEB. FROM 12 - 6PM. MANY THANKS TO ALL OUR SUPPORTERS!

7February 2006

Minister Dermot Ahern
Department of Foreign Affairs
80 St. Stephen’s Green
Dublin 2

Dear Minister

In response to allegations that the US Military and the Central Intelligence Agency have illegally transported prisoners to countries that are accused of using torture, I join a growing number of voices including the Irish Human Rights Commission, the Council of Europe and Amnesty International in requesting that the Government ensure that the transit of prisoners is not occurring through Shannon Airport and that the Irish Government is not complicit in carrying out torture by allowing this use of its airports. The practice of “rendition”, the arrest and transport of people without due process and often to countries that have in the past used torture or committed other human rights violations, is against international law. While the United States Government has declared that no prisoners have been transported through Shannon Airport, I do not think it is enough to accept this claim as there is growing evidence gathered by many organisations that show CIA planes used to transport prisoners landing repeatedly at Shannon. Therefore, I demand that inspections of planes are carried out to be certain that the Irish nation is not involved in the transport of people to countries that use torture.

Amnesty International has located flight logs for several planes that have been directly linked to the transport of people against their will and without due process. Several of these people have reported experiencing torture after their release. Because these flight logs do not indicate the purpose or type of passenger, this casts doubt on claims that the planes are not being used to transport prisoners. According to the US Federal Aviation Administration over this period, these planes landed 50 times in Shannon and took off 35 times, suggesting that some flights were kept secret. This is part of a total of 800 such flights within Europe. These flights have transported prisoners to countries such as Syria and Egypt who have poor human rights records as well as to Guantanamo Bay where prisoners have been held for years without legal process.

Article 3 of the European Charter for Human Rights states, “No one shall be subjected to torture or degrading treatment or punishment.” Since Ireland is a signatory nation for this Charter, it is important that the Government ensures that no transport of prisoners is conducted to nations that use torture or have a record of using torture. Diplomatic assurances from the United States Government are not enough. The Irish Government has a duty to conduct inspections on any planes that use its airports to ensure that human rights violations are not being abetted by the practice of transiting prisoners through Shannon Airport. The Irish Government, where there is doubt, must establish who is on board planes transiting via their airports, under whose authority they are being transported and for what purpose.

Likewise, because Ireland is a member of the European Union, I would encourage you as Minister for Foreign Affairs to support and assist the ongoing investigation across Europe concerning the transport of prisoners to places of torture and illegal prisons as well as the very serious allegations that secret detention centres have been set up within the boundaries of Europe.

Sincerely,

by Caitlin - CodePinkIreland Tue Feb 07, 2006 00:08 codepinkireland at gmail dot com Ireland

How fantastic to see such committment from Galway and Amnesty. We need to have protests like this one in every town and village throughout the country!

Hopefully, there'll be a story and some pics of the vigil today at the Aviation Authority in Dublin. And maybe some of you fine folks in Galway can send some info to IAWM or Code Pink and let us know what your plans are leading up to 18 March.

by Tommy Donnellan - Amnesty International Irish Section Tue Feb 07, 2006 01:29

Below is an extract from a Democracy Now/Amy Goodman interview (Jan 19th, 2006) with Craig Murray, ex-UK ambassador to Uzbekistan, ex, because he was forced out of his post on account of his unwillingness to acquiesce in his government's and CIA's acceptance of information, extracted through torture, from "terror" suspects in Uzbekistan. Craig, in defiance of the UK's Foreign Office diktat has posted relevant documentation on his website validating his allegations (see "Related Link)

EXTRACT OF DEMOCRACY NOW INTERVIEW

CRAIG MURRAY: Karimov is one of the most vicious dictators in the world, a man who is responsible for the death of thousands of people. Prisoners are boiled to death in Uzbek jails. And he was a guest in the White House in 2002. It's very easy to find photos of George Bush shaking Karimov's hand. Rumsfeld is particularly chummy with Karimov, so –

AMY GOODMAN: Boiled to death?

CRAIG MURRAY: Yeah, it was one of the first cases I came across, back in August or September of 2002. Two Muslim prisoners in Jaslyk gulag, which is an old Soviet gulag in the middle of the Karakum Desert, a sort of forced-labor camp, a terrible place where people are sent to die, effectively, two Islamic prisoners were boiled to death. They died of immersion in boiling water. The mother of one of the prisoners received her son's body back in a sealed casket, was ordered not to open the casket, and just to bury it the next morning. Despite being in her sixties, she managed to get the casket open in the middle of the night, even though police were guarding the house outside.

She got the body onto the kitchen table and took a series of detailed photos, which she got to the British embassy. I sent them back to London -- or, in fact, to Scotland, to the University of Glasgow, the pathology department. On the basis of these detailed photos, they did an autopsy report, in which they said that he had had his fingernails extracted, he had been severely beaten, particularly about the face, and he died of immersion in boiling liquid. And it was immersion, rather than splashing, because there is a clear tide mark around the upper torso and arms, which gives you some idea of the level of brutality of this regime (end of extract, full interview can be read on "Related Link" in first posting)

On this issue, the history of the Irish government gives us or should give us, some idea of the level of their amorality, one of "wilful ignorance" of the Three Monkeys kind; hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil?.

by Tommy Donnellan - Amnesty International Irish Section Tue Feb 07, 2006 16:56

Before being rained off, AI activists managed a three hour stint outside Lynch's castle. Weather permitting, we'll be there again tomorrow, from 12 noon 'til 6PM.

A postman (forgot to get his name) doing his duty on his way back to the GPO in nearby Eglington Street

Scottish Andy and Martha from Bologna

by Tommy Donnellan - Amnesty International Irish Section Thu Feb 09, 2006 00:45

Today, AI activists were out again in strength on Shop St for our letter to Ahern (over 500 now). More activism of the same ilk is in store for tomorrow, Friday, Saturday or whatever it takes to reach the target of.1,000.

An embarrassment of candles 'n barbed wire ?