"Algiers, Cairo, Rabat used as CIA detention centres"

[Al-khiyal]

A European Council investigation into the "global spider's web" of secret CIA prisons and illegal abduction suspected of terrorist has named the three North African capitals Algiers, Cairo and Rabat as "detainee transfer/drop off points", together with more famous locations such as Guantánamo (Cuba), Baghdad (Iraq) and Kabul (Afghanistan). The report documents frequent flights of CIA abductees to the capitals of Algeria, Egypt and Morocco and torture cases in Egypt and Morocco.

The Council of Europe today presented a report on the alleged illegal CIA prisoners transports and secret detention centres, where ill-treatment of suspected terrorists has been suspected. Mainly aiming at documenting the role of European governments in this "spider's web" - which is against human rights obligations agreed on by these states - the research has also revealed the involvement of Arab North African states in "these unlawful activities."

The well-documented report lists 14 European countries - Bosnia, Britain, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Turkey - as having knowingly cooperated with the CIA in the "unlawful inter-state transfers" of prisoners. "It is now clear - although we are still far from having established the whole truth - that authorities in several European countries actively participated with the CIA in these unlawful activities," said investigator Dick Marty.

The most serious charges against any European countries are however made against Poland and Romania. Flight data provided to the Council of Europe investigator had documented the very frequent use by the CIA of two minor airports in these countries, thus strongly indicated that CIA prisoners had been held detained here for longer or shorter periods - contrary to international law and the European Convention on Human Rights.

The report only goes into detail on incidents in member countries of the European Council, not speculating on what may have happened at other destinations. The report nevertheless published a map of "the global 'spider's web' of secret detention and unlawful inter-state transfers." The map is based on the detailed flight data Mr Marty had obtained, and covers the global operations of the CIA prisoners' transports.

On this map, the North African cities of Algiers (Algeria), Cairo (Egypt) and Rabat (Morocco) are marked in the same way as the US military base at Guantánamo Bay, Baghdad and Kabul - and as the Polish town of Szymany and the Romanian cities of Bucharest and Timisoara. These three European destinations are the ones Mr Marty holds have been the CIA's illegal secret detention centres in Europe.

The capitals of Algeria, Egypt and Morocco - briefly described as "detainee transfer/drop off points" "where flights tend to stop for just short periods, mostly far off the obvious route, either ... close to a site of a known detention facility or a prima facie case can be made to indicate a detention facility in their vicinity" - thus have been used as secret detention centres for CIA prisoners abducted or captured in other countries, the report strongly indicates. According to Mr Marty, operations of such a scale must have been known and authorised by national authorities.

The Egyptian government on earlier occasions has been accused of welcoming unlawful CIA terrorist suspects in its prisons, where they allegedly have been exposed to torture and mistreatments not allowed in the US or in Europe. Human rights groups had presented rather detailed documentation of these claims.

The allegations have been even more strengthened by the evidence presented in the Council of Europe report. The report especially mentions a "well documented case" two Egyptian asylum-seekers "handed over" by Swedish authorities to American agents "who took them to Egypt, where they were tortured."

The alleged cooperation of Moroccan and Algerian authorities in the detention and questioning of CIA terrorist suspects is however less known. The report nevertheless especially mentions a "rendition" - torture said to be legal - case involving Binyam Mohamed and Khaled El-Masri, who had been mistreated both in Algiers and Timisoara (Romania).

The report details the "suspected rendition circuit" of Binyam Mohamed with the destination of Morocco, "which several elements point to as a location that harbours a detention facility." Mr Binyam testifies that he underwent his first rendition on 21 July 2002. He describes how unidentified persons "stripped him naked, took photos, put fingers up his anus and dressed him in a tracksuit. He was shackled, with earphones, and blindfolded, before being forced onto an aircraft and flown to Morocco. Official flight records obtained by this inquiry show that the known rendition plane, N379P, took off from Islamabad on 21 July 2002 and flew to Rabat, Morocco."

Mr Binyam has described various secret detention facilities in which he was held in Morocco, including one prison that was submerged "almost underground" and one more sanitary place in which he was apparently placed to recover from injuries sustained from his torture. "Between July 2002 and January 2004 Binyam was tortured on numerous occasions by a team of interrogators and other officials, most of whom were Moroccan," the report says.

"Algiers, Cairo, Rabat used as CIA detention centres"

[nesreen]

Big Shame on all of them. May god punish them in his own way inshallah one day

[nightmare]

Oh I like about media and the normal people simplicity is that when news like this get spread out around right when The dignity of The EUROPEAN COUNTRIES was on the ground ,stepped on when the news came revealing That within The Eu countries there are secret detentions and we know for who and what type of people they exist ,"active Muslims"
USA: 800 secret CIA flights into and out of Europe


Amnesty International today revealed that six planes used by the CIA for renditions have made some 800 flights in or out of European airspace including 50 landings at Shannon airport in the Republic of Ireland.

The information contradicts assurances given last week by the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern, that Ireland's Shannon airport had not been used for "untoward" purposes, or as a transit point for terror suspects.


http://www.amnesty-eu.org/static/htm...7&id=248&cat=4
all of a sudden they are switched upon Algiers ,Rabat and Cairo!
lol and since when even this capitals are not cooperating against their own people ?
Of course even in Morocco we know why Abed Al aziz Marrakshi went to lybia and than Algeria wasn't it for torture and abuse after Rabat demonstration..
Now we have to think is all this ways of seeking help from outsiders do give us any relief ,when te outsiders are Fronco -Zionist " Algerian rulers "speaking the mind of their masters Frono -zionist and Moroccan ambitious friendship with Us and Israel as well as the Anglo US ISRAELI EGYPTIAN connection..
all of this will give you the real secret of the Arabian recipe of mess and separation and it's own people Killing and torturing mainly in Egypt ,ALGERIA ,JORDAN AND TUNISIA ,Morocco is still however very careful to show it's abuse in public and I know Lots of things happens under-ground,for some reason I believe this King Mohamed 6 is a half way miracle !
Every country on Earth does have a dirty hand somewhere ..the question to Arabs is every country on earth do sell his values and people ?
Do they rebuild after been harmed naturally or by Wars or they mock each others ?
Was Germany United and the wall was demolished for their family gathering ,have we done such a thing?
if you assume the rise and power of your nation shall be on the back of others and in order to look good you have to demonize others ,you certainly is building a hole that only you will fail in it!
and this detainees knows better therefore they are tortured and kept away from speaking to us about it..God knows best!

[Al-khiyal]

You are overlooking the source for the article ya nightmare - it is Africa Online, so it is natural enough that the journalist concentrated on the three particular cities and extracted what was in the European Council report that related to them.

There is a lot more about the issue in the Geoplitics section where the reports do not have such a specific focus.

And remember, 'other people are doing bad things!' is not really any defence of wrongdoing closer to home.

[nightmare]

and you are far from understanding my pointYA AL-KHIYAL
IF EU is accused of having cells that are monitoring terrorists on her soil and under the US authority that makes The EU Image as a potential powerful countries shrink within the eyes of it's population and that's what have happened and that's my point .
Wassalam

[nesreen]

There have been many Innocent people sent to those secret detention centres Like the Syrian , Arrar , whose holidays turned into a nightmare the shocking thing for me was that SYRIA out of all countries tortured him for 11 months and 11 days . Syria that being bullied by the US and occupied for Israel . sometimes i feel like saying im not arab anymore, i dont want to belong to the same race as these cowards who are selling their souls and consciences to the West , so Uncle sam can have them in his good books . Bas... what happened to Dignity , to soverignty , to the security of our own citizens , et... what happened ?

I asked mom (still refering to the Colonial period in algeria ) what will happen if France invades algeria , would we have resistance ? (she said , of course not . the people would welcome france with open arms and say : we have been waiting for the red passeport (mom has a good sense of humour, was a resistant fighter and got widowed by war at 20)

That german Guy Khalid Al Masri was kinapped in macedonia (holidays) and sent to Bagram to be tortured . (released now )
so many others ..

The Arabs should be ashamed of themselves , arent they doing enough torture locally , to receive other citizens . why dont they do their own honest and fair investigation and demand Credible proof that these people are really guilty , and take the US word for it (we know about their intelligence. ) I had no respect for Arab leaders before , now i despise them like you wont believe ! i want them all to go to Hell and rot .