Peace Activists call for govt to come clean on CIA at Shannon

national | anti-war / imperialism | press release

Wednesday September 14, 2005 16:15

by Tim Hourigan - MAMA

jailbertienow at hotmail dot com

0879777703

McDowell, Bertie, O'Dea see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

Following press and radio reports that the UN Commission on Human Rights wants to add Ireland to the long list of countries it wants to question about aiding and abetting CIA 'rendition' (i.e. torturing them into signing confessions) flights, peace activists in the Mid-west, who have been monitoring Shannon, call on the government to stop looking the other way.

Peace Activists call for govt to come clean on CIA at Shannon

Mid-West peace activists have the Irish government to come clean on and to co-hoperate fully with the investigations of the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Prof Martin Scheinin. Prof Scheinin, has confirmed that he will be investigating the repeated landings of secret CIA aircraft at Shannon airport which have been linked to cases of illegal abduction, and torture in several countries.

For too long the government has simply washed their hands of these illegal flights.
There has been a systematic cover up by the State, who preferred to turn a blind eye to kidnap and torture, even though this same government passed the Criminal Justice (UN Convention Against Torture) Act into Irish law.

When the issue of CIA kidnap jets was just a suspicion, the Government pleaded ignorance and assured us that it would not be tolerated. Michael McDowell told the Seanad that he would “respond immediately” if he believed people were being
Illegally transported through SNN. Now that it is known that CIA jets have come through, the government is too scared to look for evidence.
Detailed criminal complaints about these planes have been ignored by the gardaí and the State.
Defence Minister Willie O’Dea promised to investigate the matter thoroughly, but still nothing was done.
Preferring political expediency over the rule of law, the government stated that the denials from un-named US officials were good enough for them, and again refused to inspect any of these aircraft or take steps to prevent them landing at Shannon.
In response to allegations, the government, while refusing to gather any evidence themselves, then turned around and said that activists had no proof that prisoners were brought through Shannon.
Logically, peace activists cannot hop the fence and take photos of the inside of these planes, but it is well documented that these same aircraft have snatched people from Sweden, Macedonia, Indonesia, and that some of these people have been tortured and later released without charge, while others are never heard of again.
It is up to the Garda Siochana, as upholders of the law to ensure that neither the torturers, nor their victims can pass through our airports unhindered.
The government should in aid, rather than restrict a Garda investigation, and should turn over any information to the Gardai and the UN.

Contact : Tim Hourigan 087-9777703

Notes

Senator Henry asked the Minister for 'Just-us' Michael McDowell if he could "assure us that untried and unsentenced people are not being brought through Shannon from goodness knows where to Guantanamo Bay". McDowell assured the Seanad that "Any person who is on the soil of Ireland is entitled to the protection of the Constitution. No person can be brought through the soil of Ireland in the custody of any other state except in accordance with International Law. If the Senator has reason to believe any person has been transited through Irish terroritory, in unlawful custody, particularly to Guantanamo, I would be interested to hear it because I would respond to it immediately."
We have our Constitution and the right of freedom of the individual is not confined to citizens; it applies to all persons. Therefore, it would cause me grave concern if I thought people were being smuggled through Irish territory in circumstances that amounted to unlawful detention in Irish law or in international law for that matter."
Seanad Records p286 &287 June 23 2004)