Following Amnesty report, gov must act on rendition flights
Issued : Friday 14 March, 2008
Statement by Eamon Gilmore TD
Leader of the Labour Party, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade
The disclosure by Amnesty International that an aircraft that took a Saudi born man from Baghdad to Kabul, where he was held without charge in a CIA prison, had refuelled the previous day at Shannon, should be a matter of serious concern to anyone who believes in democracy and rule of international law.
The Amnesty Report also strong reinforces the case for the Irish authorities insisting on the right to inspect aircraft suspected of being involved in extraordinary rendition.
It is difficult to dispute the assessment of Amnesty that Ireland is clearly contravening international law by allowing its territory to be used to facilitate extraordinary rendition. Indeed, I would go further and say that the failure to assert our right to check these planes, leaves Ireland potentially complicit in the kidnap, detention and torture of people against whom no charges have been proven and who, in many cases, are totally innocent.
The government has ignored reports from both the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe which provided compelling evidence that planes involved in extraordinary rendition were using Irish airports. It has snubbed the Human Rights Commission, an authoritative, responsible body established by legislation to uphold human rights in this country, when it called for the inspection of such planes. Is it too much to hope that the government will now pay attention to this damning report from Amnesty?
Ireland is not simply obliged by national and international law not to engage in torture, but also has positive obligations to ensure that torture is not facilitated and that individuals are not placed at risk of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment.
The government must now insist on the right to inspect aircraft suspected of being involved in rendition. If, as the United States insists, there are no suspects on these planes, why should they object to this being independently verified by the Irish authorities? Serious consideration should also be given to banning from Irish airports any aircraft established to have been involved in extraordinary rendition.
