Collaborators

Fourteen European countries collaborated with the US in its policy of "extraordinary rendition" according to a new report:

PARIS (AFP) - Fourteen European countries colluded in or tolerated the secret transfer of terrorist suspects by the United States, and two of them -- Poland and Romania -- may have harboured CIA detention centres, according to a Council of Europe report released.

"It is now clear -- although we are still far from establishing the whole truth -- that authorities in several European countries actively participated with the CIA in these unlawful activities. Other countries ignored them knowingly, or did not want to know," the report said.

It listed Sweden, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Britain, Italy, Macedonia, Germany and Turkey as countries "responsible, at varying degrees ... for violations of the rights of specific persons."

Seven other countries "could be held responsible for collusion -- active or passive": Poland, Romania, Spain, Cyprus, Ireland, Portugal and Greece.

Drawn up by Swiss parliamentarian Dick Marty, the report identified a "spider's web" of landing points around the world used by the US authorities for the practice of "extraordinary rendition" -- the undercover transfer of security suspects to third countries or US-run detention centres.

"The United States ... actually created this reprehensible network. But we also believe to have established that it is only through the intentional or grossly negligent collusion of the European partners that this 'web' was able to spread also over Europe," it said.

Citing media reports, investigations by human rights groups, air traffic control records and contacts within US and other intelligence services, Marty documented 14 individuals subjected to "extraordinary rendition" with alleged European collusion.

They include an Egyptian cleric allegedly abducted by a CIA snatch squad in Italy; a German of Lebanese descent seized in Macedonia who was a case of mistaken identity; and six Bosnians of Algerian origin who were handed to the US authorities and are now at the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay.

Britain was accused of handing the CIA information about its citizens or residents, who then allegedly faced "rendition" and torture under interrogation.

The strongest claims were made against Poland and Romania where the report said there is "now a preponderance of indications" that secret detention centres were operated near aircraft landing points. Both countries have denied the allegation.

I don't get it. Wouldn't you think someone would have stood up and said, "No! That's illegal."? All -- or at least most -- of these countries share our (now obsolete) belief that people have a right to a fair trial before being convicted and sentenced.