Rendition Planes Land at Shannon, Dublin, Sligo, Cork and Knock
international |
anti-war / imperialism |
other press 
Sunday November 25, 2007 05:14
by Seán Ryan
Planes used by CIA war criminals in their illegal rendition program have landed all over Ireland.
Planes that were frequently used by the CIA in their inhumane and highly illegal Extraordinary Rendition missions have landed all over Ireland. These flights have not been confined to Shannon Airport. These planes have landed at Shannon, Dublin, Sligo, Cork and have even touched down at Knock Airport.
This morning in the Times there is an article that releases more information on these illegal flights. It tells us that the US have violated international law with the permission of many European States. It also speaks of a secret deal agreed by all NATO members on October 4th 2001 where "blanket overflight clearences for the United States and other allies' aircraft for military flights related to operations against terrorism." Here's the Times article:- http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/arti...2.ece
We know that the US were given carte blanche with regard to their crimes against humanity by the Irish government. Bertie Ahern says as much when in an interview with Shannon Activist Conor Cregan on the 18/2/06 he said that he trusted Condoleeza Rice with regard to CIA planes landing in Shannon. If one reads between the lines of Bertie's broken English, we are told that even though we refer to ourselves as a sovereign nation, we do not call the shots when it comes to who and what can use our country to facilitate crimes against humanity. Details of Conor's interview can be found at:- http://www.indymedia.ie/article/74341 and a video of the interview itself can be found at:- http://publish.indymedia.org/media/2006/02//833676.wmv
I've copied the flight logs that are relevant to Ireland from the ghostplane web site. These logs only cover flights between 11/1/2001 and 15/02/2006. The ghostplane web site can be found at:- http://www.ghostplane.net/
I'm pretty sure that these logs are incomplete. I'm also pretty sure that the noose is beginning to close on those who committed crimes against humanity and those of us who facilitated them.
Comments (8 of 8)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8What was it doing there we don't know because nobody will check.
N475LC from FAYETTEVILLE RGNL GRANNIS FLD to SHANNON ETA Sun Nov 25
near fort bragg
The aircraft has been linked to the CIA rendition activities in a reports published by Amnesty International and the European Parliament. It has landed at Shannon on a number of occasions. It was then owned by a company called Braxton Management . An investigation by the Chicago Tribune newspaper into the company concluded it was a shelf company set up by the CIA to facilitate operations using "civilian" aircraft. Reporters for the Chicago Tribune found the company offered no management services, was registered to a lawyer's office in Montana (who would not return calls), and operated aircraft which had landed at the CIA's training facility at Camp Peary, Virginia and at numerous airports in the Middle East
The aircraft is now owned by L 3 IS LLC Corporation, which appears to be another paper company, whose business address is a different law office in Great Falls.
McGarr legal blogger parses Gardai Inspectorate Kathleen O Toole's carefully worded 'American promise' on human rights.
http://www.mcgarrsolicitors.ie/2007/11/12/rendition-at-...nnon/
http://www.terminalair.org
http://ncstoptorturenow.net/resourcesplanespotting.html
The US government is attempting to halt a lawsuit initiated by Reprieve, a London based charity acting on behalf of six people who were kidnapped and rendered by the CIA. What's unusual about this is that Reprieve are suing Jeppesen a subsidiary of the Boeing Corporation. It is claimed that the CIA arranged some of its logistic support at Jeppesen's office in Crawley, West Sussex. The US are predictably afraid that details of secret European prisons and details about any governments who may have given permission to the US, will emerge.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2217505,00.html#...tinue
Excellent expose printed in the Independent today.
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/us-planes-use....html
Any info on flights thru Knock appreciated. The locals will not be happy about that if it's true.
The flight logs are illegible.
From the second picture (if you click on the picture a legible version will load):
04-09-2001 Connaught - Londonderry/Eglinton - N85VM
The article ED was referring too
Flight logs reveal secret rendition allowed in 5+ EU countries
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/arti...2.ece
Inquiries by Ana Gomes, a Portuguese member of the EU parliament, have uncovered CIA flight logs and more sensitive military flight plans, which until now have remained a closely guarded secret.
The logs show how most prisoners changed planes at a Turkish military airbase and flew across Greek, Italian and Portuguese airspace. Others reached Cuba after touching down in Spain. The investigation, cross-checked against other Pentagon documents, shows for the first time which prisoner arrived on which flight at Guantanamo, and by what route.
On February 2 2003, for example, a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster plane took off from Incirlik with 27 prisoners on board for Cuba. The same day, prisoner number 558 weighed in at 136lb (62kg) at the camp. He can be named as Moazzam Begg, now 39, from Birmingham, who was released in January 2005, and has never been charged with a crime.
n a statement to the European parliament on the visits of CIA planes to Spain, the foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos has testified: "Our territory may have been used not to commit crimes on it, but as a stopover on the way to committing crime in another country."
democracy now interview with stephen grey
http://www.democracynow.org/2007/11/6/new_pbs_documenta...ce_to
recent info gather by european investigators http://www.ghostplane.net/Guantanamo
Exchanges with NATO
Exchange of letters with the Secretary General of NATO, answering to Mrs Gomes' request to confirm whether there were any military flights in the context of NATO operations , which transited through Portuguese airspace or airports, and whose final destination / point of origin, were the US facilities on Guantanamo Bay (see attached: DOC 6 and DOC 7).
Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer's answer is clear: NATO's "aircraft do not fly and have not flown to or from Guantanamo Bay". (Mrs Gomes' comments )
the Data at http://ghostplane.pbwiki.com/
Of 774 prisoners recorded as having been weighed-in at Guantanamo
- 728 were flown through Portugal (in 28 flights)
- 23 arrived at Guantanamo via the Moron Airbase in Spain. (on the 1st prisoner flight into Guantanamo)
- 17 we don’t know where the flight came from, because there is information on the airport of origin.
- 688 through the Incirlik airbase in southernTurkey
- 46 prisoners cannot be matched with any specific flight.
- 193 flew confirmed via Spanish airspace according to Spanish military logs (170 in 7 flights, plus first flight of 23)
--eg
19) 16 June 2002 33 CALLSIGN: RCH793y Incirlik (Turkey) C141
- Confirmed via Spanish airspace 33 prisoners weighed 16 /17 Jun
A Pentagon briefing document confirmed the arrival of approximately 35
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2007/1127/1195....html Alison Healy
Thomas Hammarberg said it was not enough for the Government to say that it had no evidence that such planes were being used to carry prisoners to other countries to be tortured. He said there was "an obligation" on the Government to investigate if prisoners were being carried on these aircraft.
If they were, then the Government was "playing a part in a process that leads to torture", he said. "So I don't think that the response that we are getting now from Irish and other governments is satisfactory."
Mr Hammarberg was speaking in Dublin last night when he gave the Irish Human Rights Commission's annual lecture.
Defender of human rights goes on the offensive
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/world/2007/1123/119568....html
The Government should search US military planes landing at Shannon airport to confirm they are not being used for rendition flights, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour has said.
Ms Arbour was speaking following a day of meetings with Irish Government officials and human rights organisations in Dublin yesterday, during which the rendition issue was discussed.
"I stressed that it's not just the direct complicity that is of significance but also either neglect or willful blindness to what's going on.
Despite assurances from the US that no rendition of terrorist suspects has taken place through Shannon, the UN commissioner said that random searches of aircraft should be conducted as a matter of precaution.
More news just in on the Boeing subsidiary accused of aiding rendition flights. An ex-worker of Jeppesen Dataplan Inc. is giving evidence on behalf of the ACLU.
"The ACLU also provided the testimony of a former Jeppesen employee who said the company openly spoke of its role in extraordinary rendition.
According to the declaration of Sean Belcher, who worked briefly for Jeppesen as a technical writer in San Jose, Calif. in 2006, the director of Jeppesen's International Trip Planning Service, Bob Overby, told new employees during an introductory breakfast that "we do all the extraordinary rendition flights."
When some employees looked puzzled at the statement, Overby added that he was referring to "torture flights," according to Belcher's declaration.
According to Belcher, Overby then said he understood some employees were not comfortable with that aspect of Jeppesen's business but added "that's just the way it is, we're doing them," and that the rendition flights paid very well.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jEcpAO94pyE2bkHoA5Rq...LONG0
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