WRITTEN ON October 4th, 2006 BY William Heath AND STORED IN Uncategorized
Reprieve and Liberty reckon the European Parliament may produce evidence that puts UK politicians in the dock over the CIA rendition flights, reports The Lawyer.
Under the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, which prohibits not only torture, but also degrading or inhuman treatment, UK authorities could face prosecution if they are found to have allowed prisoners likely to face such treatment to be flown through UK airports or airspace.Public debate over the alleged ‘torture flights’ was reignited last month following the emergence of US flight logs confirming CIA flights through European airspace and airports. The matter was exacerbated further by President Bush’s admission on 7 September that secret CIA camps exist and are yet to be shut down.
Zachary Katznelson, in-house lawyer at Reprieve, said: “The CPS should be reviewing the flight logs and interviewing the people in the British Government involved. The more evidence there is, the more the responsibility grows. It would be a complete failure of the prosecution service not to investigate this and their failure to do so now must be political.”
Liberty also has an “ID cards! Huh! What are they goood for ahabsolutely nothing say it again!” competition here.
2 Responses to “Prosecutions over rendition flights possible, say NGOs”
[url =http://www.silicon.com/publicsector/0,3800010403,39162917,00.htm]David Cameron has pledged to abolish ID cards[/url].
How strange that the BBC did not report this or the rest of his speech on Sunday.
I trust that politicians, rather than officials, will be held to account for these apparently political decisions.
Our current politicians played with fire when they put ex President Pinochet on trial here: That precedent made it “open season” on erring politicians, world-wide: Especially retired politicians!
The UK government, unlike the USA, later signed up with the International Criminal Court; making our armed forces, unlike the USA armed forces, liable to international criminal charges.
Presumably, our UK politicians are now also answerable to the ICC?
I hope that the UK does not become liable for massive reparations over its government’s actions.