The European Union agreed to allow the United States freer access to its airspace to move unwanted people around the world in 2003 — and then tried to cover up the deal, according to censored EU documents seen by United Press International.
The revelation adds further weight to claims that EU governments were fully aware the Central Intelligence Agency was using European airports to hold and transport prisoners, but preferred to turn a blind eye to the practice.
Documents obtained by British civil liberties group Statewatch show that at a high-level meeting of European and American justice officials in Athens on Jan. 22, 2003, the two sides agreed on the “increased use of European transit facilities to support the return of criminal/inadmissible aliens.”
Politicians both side of the pond washing each other’s hands of responsibility.
I’m so glad the Clinton administration set up the rendition program. It is a shame evil Bush is catching all the criticism for it.
Clinton loves UAE money. He has been paid $300,000 per speech on his two trips there. I still catch find any information as to where he stands on the UAE Port deal. Liberal media…absolutely!
So, the stain is now spreading throughout Europe. Where is the outrage among Americans and European citizens that our fundamental values and rights are being eroded for little gain? Where are the opposition politicians taking substantive action rather than obscene posturing.
These hidden torture prisons will go down as one of the darkest periods in American history. How lucky we all are to have been alive to see it.
Common theres nothing wrong with torture, Why god tortures people everyday, For example he allows catholic priests to mollest children and doesnt lift a finger to prevent it, Cause it all serves for his so called morality tests, And hell torture the priest who did it in hell too when he dies, And he tortures children by allowing them to be born in the middle east where he knows damn well there will be nothing but sufference and pain waiting for them. Even though he is all powerfull and could just lift his finger or do one tiny thing to make things better. But its better to have people suffer to make sure they are worthy of salvation.
And the Cristians will say they brought this down upon themself so its ok to watch them suffer and help them along in there self destruction, All the while god watches preparing hell for more souls to be tortured.
God is all about suffering torture and misery.
God is good God is great.
And I think what will go down as a dark time in history will be when the religous right once again took control of a powerfull nation and turned what was a beutiful country into a fashist police state.
And the supposedly leaked information about the prisons has a few different directives 1. Keep people who might have opposing views in line so they dont get too vocal cause torture doesnt discriminate its for everyone, Also it is very dimmoralizing for the muslims it does more good for the bush admin then bad, And to prove that. how come not one of those places that we all know exists been shut down. They wont be.
Yes… the EU countries are ‘hypocrites’ for looking the other way while the government of the ‘land of free’ is torturing people.
Pot… kettle is on the phone… something about being black….
Fight an illegal war, detain people illegally in illegal facilities, treat them illegally, and subject them to degredation and torture, often without evidence…. then complain that someone who didn’t stop you was the problem all along.
No, that’s not typically American or anything.
“Liberal media…absolutely!”
The ‘media’ isn’t Liberal, they just don’t like hate-mongering liars who torture people.
Deal with it.
Bush Adminstration – Destroying everything America stands for.
I’m so glad the Clinton administration set up the rendition program. It is a shame evil Bush is catching all the criticism for it.
I suppose because the program set up while Clinton was in the White House excuses the wholesale “rendition” of innocent peoples to be tortured. What the CIA did during Clinton’s time was to remove known terrorists to their countries of birth. What the CIA under Bush has done is to kidnap innocents along with the known and send them to be tortured. Even if the CIA under Clinton did it does not make it right. The suggestion that somehow it is now legal to do it is just a crock of crap. The problem is when innocents were kidnapped and tortured. Even CIA personnel that did the program under Clinton recognized what was happening under Bush.
Being paid for giving speeches is not something new. Gerald Ford made it a career. Nancy Reagan did it. Bush Sr., Henry Kissinger, and someone named Richard Cheney all hit the lecture circuit for big bucks after leaving office.
I’m so glad the Clinton administration set up the rendition program.
You mean that pot-smoking, draft-dodging, philanderer was actually doing something about terrorists??? 🙂
It`s so easy to critisize and so hard to say anyhing constructive.
It`s so easy to critisize and so hard to say anyhing constructive.
Very true. Is there anything constructive to say about torture or kidnapping though?
Mike Voice – #8 – You mean compared to the alcoholic, coke snorting, National Guard deserter, “If it weren’t for daddy I couldn’t be dog-catcher” that talks directly to god?
The hypocrisy in the “war on terror” goes beyond the EU. Here in the Middle East, jailed radicals are often treated absolutely horribly — think abu Gharib or Gitmo — but the newspapers and other media sanctimoniously lecture the USA about prisoner abuse.
>hink abu Gharib or Gitmo
Gitmo is in the MIddle East now?
hink abu Gharib or Gitmo
Gitmo is in the MIddle East now?
Almost all the “guests” at “Gitmo”are from the middle east.
You mean compared to the alcoholic, coke snorting, National Guard deserter, “If it weren’t for daddy I couldn’t be dog-catcher” that talks directly to god?
No, I was just surprised to see a Dubya-supporter giving credit for anything to “Slick Willie”.
Well, at least anything positive. 🙂