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Secret detentions and unlawful inter-state transfers involving member states of the Council of Europe
September 26, 2007 12:00 AM
By Sarah Ludford in European Parliament
By Sarah Ludford in European Parliament
Sarah Ludford (ALDE ). - Mr President, the President of the Council threw up his hands and said the EU had no power to act, that torture flights and secret prisons are 'nothing to do with us, Guv!'. Then he said that the Council had been involved in the active promotion of human rights outside the EU. I really am getting quite sick of hearing presidencies endlessly parrot European values but claim that they cannot deliver accountability for human rights abuses inside the EU.
Here are two things that you could do. Why have only 12 Member States signed the UN Convention on enforced disappearance, notable absentees from signature being the UK, Germany, Spain, Poland and Romania - a funny list that - as well, of course, as the US? Secondly, you could get EU Member States to volunteer to take Guantánamo prisoners who have been cleared for release. The UK had to be taken to court before it bid for five UK residents to come back to the UK. If the EU calls for the closure of Guantánamo, which we more or less did, then let Member States put their action where their mouth is.
I agree with Commissioner Frattini that a parliamentary inquiry is insufficient. We did not have the powers and the investigatory techniques of the police and judicial inquiry, but firstly I would say that the weight of testimony from victims and others that we received and published was weighty, consistent and persuasive. Secondly, it is a bit rich to reproach a parliamentary report when Member States refused to instigate police or judicial inquiries.
The UK Intelligence and Security Committee, which is appointed by and reports to the Prime Minister - not to Parliament - reproached British security services for not realising that information they passed to the CIA would be misused for abduction, disappearance and torture. Well, if we have such naive British intelligence services, it does not make me feel very safe.
It is certainly good to hear that Commissioner Frattini is shutting the stable door somewhat after the horse has bolted in terms of stopping abuse of European airspace, with private planes evading controls on state aircraft or not filing flight plans, but that is no substitute for accountability for past permission or tolerance for torture flights through, or secret prisons on, European territory.
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