CIA aeroplanes create scandal in Sweden, Spain

by redjade Tue Nov 15, 2005 19:55

On the Spanish island of Majorca, the police quietly opened a criminal investigation in March after a local newspaper reported a series of visits to the island's international airport by planes known to regularly operate for the Central Intelligence Agency.


Now, it has emerged that an investigative judge in Palma has ordered the police inquiry to be sent to Spain's national court, to consider whether the C.I.A. was routing planes carrying terrorism suspects through Majorca as part of its so-called rendition program.

Under that system, the United States has bypassed normal extradition procedures to secretly transfer at least 100 suspects to third countries where, according to allegations by human rights groups and former detainees themselves, some of the suspects have been tortured.

[....]

None of the 42 Americans named in the Spanish police report as passengers or crew aboard the three alleged C.I.A. planes are so far accused of any crime, and their identities have not been made public.

The New York Times has obtained the names and tried to trace the people involved.

At least 18 shared addresses at a handful of mailboxes in Virginia, close to the C.I.A.'s headquarters, and many had Social Security numbers issued within the last five years. The name listed as a pilot has a listed address at the same mailbox in Vienna, Va., used by a senior executive of Stevens Express Leasing.

New York Times: (No reg required)
http://tinyurl.com/dwmk2

by iosaf Tue Nov 15, 2005 22:46

Its not really a scandal at all "over here", its more a question of the nature of the alliance which is NATO/OTAN, and the *continuing illegality* of US actions in the war on terror, in which Spain undeniably has played the largest part in bringing suspects to trial and has furthermore seen the most convictions for Al Qaeda related acts. With only one exception have those convictions not been subject to protest or contest, and including that exception - not a single one has been deemed by the international community on either a "media" or "diplomatic" level to have been unsafe, or unfair.
It is a question of the sovreign integrity of a NATO/OTAN/UN member state which provides the largest contribution of any armed forces to operation ISAF in Afghanistan.
It is a question of Spain, the EU state which has lost the most of its citizens and migrants (posthumously granted citizenship) in an Al Qaeda terrorist attack presenting evidence that since 2003 when "boeing 737 resgistration number 313P" flew via a Spanish airport from Afghanistan to Poland and then Rumania with quite a load of "non combattants" - the USA and its intelligence agency the CIA have abused the hospitality of an ally.

Spain is not Sweden. Sweden is neutral.
Spain is not Greenland, they're having an election.
Spain is not Ireland. Debate it.
Spain is for the purpose of those making the most serious allegations (CNI secret service, Guardia Civil coast guard and judiciary) "the Spanish state".

& Mallorca is where the royal family go on holliers and most of their mates hang out, and one of the prime nazi war criminals has left a trail. Mallorca is the garden and the CIA have gone (not exactly on tip toe) into it. And the armed force charged with border duty have reported them. Thus its not surprising that Legal Spanish fans now not only look forward to the arraingment of 3 US army officers for the murder of a camera man in José Couso in Baghdad in 2003, and the then "affront of the US to the international community" but now want the USA to answer the question "themselves" - {{{maybe washington post article would do for starters}}}

Where are the other camps?
Who is there?
How long have they been there?
How long will they stay there?
What have they told you?
What have you done to them?
Why are you withholding strategic information vital to the "war on terror" from an Ally and friend especially when it is relevant to the Afghani theatre of UN mandated peace keeping operations in which Spanish troops are stationed.

Loads of questions for the unsustainable American strategy for world war and peace.

¿Who's going to answer the Q?

by redjade Tue Nov 15, 2005 23:33

CCR Statement on the Graham-Levin Habeas Jurisdiction Stripping Amendment

November 15, 2005 – The Center for Constitutional Rights condemns the Graham-Levin Amendment to the Military Authorization Bill, passed today by the United States Senate.  This bill is directed at those persons held at the Guantanamo prison camp.  For the first time in our history, it would strip people of a right which has been the shining jewel of Western jurisprudence since the 13th Century, the right to petition a federal court for a writ of habeas corpus.

It is particularly disturbing that this legislation was enacted stealthily and without any meaningful deliberation by the Senate or its Judiciary Committee.  As happens so often, it is easy to carelessly give up our rights and much more difficult to get them back, once lost.

That these prisoners are so called ‘enemy combatants’ does not justify this suspension of the writ, since it has applied during earlier times of war, in particular World War II and the American Civil War.  Fundamentally, the writ of habeas corpus requires any authority that holds a prisoner to present that prisoner before an independent magistrate and show good cause why that person has been seized and is being detained.  It is a linchpin to the rule of law and the proposition that individuals have rights and that the power of government is limited.

http://www.ccr-ny.org/v2/reports/report.asp?ObjID=0A858fho7K&Content=669

-- -- --

••• Queen Amidala of Naboo said of the Senate of the Galactic Republic voting to create the Galactic Empire....

'This is how liberty dies -- to thunderous applause.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_III:_Revenge_of_the_Sith

by - Wed Nov 16, 2005 13:28

are currently top suspects for allowing the creation of holding camps outside of international law for unknown individuals in the custody of the CIA.

* no precise location given.
* no disclosure of prison conditions.
* no contact with prisoners families.
* no legal reason for their imprisonment.
* no set time limit to their incarcelation.
* no trial.

Also under suspicion are :- FYR Macedonia
and Bylorussia. "put the camps out east".

arrival in a Polish camp 1939-1945 (no-one knew where they were)

arrival in a Polish camp 2003-2005 (no-one knows where they are)

by stockholm Wed Nov 16, 2005 17:06

Its in every media in Sweden, tv, radio, blogs and newspapers.

"Sweden must not act like America's lapdog in this increasingly absurd war on terror" - Helle Klein

http://www.aftonbladet.se/blogg/klein /(Political Editor Sweden's Largest Evening Paper - Socialdemocratic!!)

TV4 journalists received the grand journalist prize yesterday - and went to attack against the government. Minister of culture, Leif Pagrotsky, who was sitting below the stage was implicated as an accomplice in the CIA scandal involving the deportation (rendition) of two Egyptians.

- He is an accessory to the crime, the Journalist Fredrik Laurin says.

TV 4 journalist Fredrik Laurin receiving the top journalistic prize for investigative journalism (he broke the rendition story in Sweden).

http://www.expressen.se/index.jsp?a=471038 (2nd Largest Evening Paper - Liberal)


At least two of the planes (N168BF & N50BH) that the CIA have rented have landed on Swedish airports, an investigation by TT (the Swedish News Agency) shows.

http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=147&a=487567

The government is now demanding that the Swedish Board of Civil Aviation releases all information relating to airplanes which can have any bearing on the CIA planes landing in Sweden.

http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=147&a=488030

(Largest Swedish Morning Paper - Liberal)


Politicians from the entire Swedish political spectrum demands answers to what airplanes used by CIA:s prisoner transports have been up to in Sweden. Now the Swedish Board of Civil Aviation will investigate the routes of the planes.

And now the government promises to examine the issue...

http://www.svd.se/dynamiskt/inrikes/did_11030399.asp

(2nd Largest Morning Paper in Sweden - Conservative)

by Coilín Wed Nov 16, 2005 18:31

"On Wednesday, the Norwegian foreign ministry called representatives for the American embassy in Oslo for a meeting to discuss CIA aeroplanes. The Swedish foreign ministry will wait, according to information to the Swedish news agency, TT."

Translated from the aforementioned Svenska Dagbladet:
http://www.svd.se/dynamiskt/inrikes/did_11030399.asp

Best,
Coilín.

by anypoint Wed Nov 16, 2005 18:48

US reassures Norway over CIA prisoner plane

'We have met a representative of the American embassy who denied that the plane in question had been used by the American authorities at the time,' foreign affairs ministry spokeswoman Anne Lene Dale Sandsten told AFP.

'The American representative assured us that this plane was on a purely civilian mission,' Dale Sandsten said.Norway had previously demanded an explanation over a CIA plane which landed in Stavanger in the southeast of the country. In that incident, the US government had said that no prisoners had been on board.

http://www.forbes.com/finance/feeds/afx/2005/11/16/afx2341050.html


Budapest - The Hungarian government on Friday denied that an airplane which landed in Budapest in early October was being used by the CIA to transport suspected terrorists to secret locations where they could be interrogated.

The aircraft - registered as N168D - as it left Ferihegy International Airport on October 4.The aircraft is owned by Devon Holding & Leasing, which was one of seven carriers used by the CIA as fronts.'The plane landed here on October 3 en-route to Amman, Jordan from Reykjavik, Iceland,' he said. 'The five crew members simply wanted to spend the night in Budapest.'

'Our authorities searched the craft, and found that it was merely a civilian cargo plane without any other people on board,' he continued.'The Hungarian government was never asked to handle terrorists, and we would have answered no had such a request been made,' Batiz said.

http://www.budapesttimes.hu/index.php?art=1237 (Worth a read)

by the rightwing Wed Nov 16, 2005 23:59

God bless America and God bless the CIA.
Period

by redjade Thu Nov 17, 2005 01:37

This issue in Hungary is far from solved at this point - a lot of denials and confusing press reports - but more should be known, hopefully soon.

If it is true, it could seriously damage the 'Socialist' led govt here in next year's elections - the Socialist Party are the decendants of the Hungarian Socialist Workers Party that tortured so many Hungarians.

In other news, I linked to a bunch of past CIA/Shannon stories on indymedia.ie from this feature on DailyKos.com...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/11/16/175433/01

by resentful "he dö" Sat Nov 19, 2005 14:02

interestingly one of the plaintiffs Denmark has already faced on three seperate occasions allegations of abuse and torture by its intelligence officers during their stationing in Iraq. the Danish took specific AlQ threats to their country very seriously earlier this year, http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=70971 coming just after Bush's visit for his birthday to Copenhagen when he dismissed concern at Guantanamo telling journalists to "fly down their and look".

And as Colin told us before, the CIA landed to have a look at Denmark.
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=72721

I'm focussing on the Danish rather than the other nordic block states (Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Faroes) today, because their role in the war on Iraq, and the war on terror is greatly overlooked. Their contribution to intelligence gathering has been substantial, and I assure the readers the Danes pop up everywhere ready and listening. Please see the issue of "national" or "local" pride. If the Danes (or other nordics) thought it would assist them to facilitate extra-ordinary renditions, then I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have allowed this story to progress. & it has progressed. Greenland elected a home rule government this week in its elections, on a platform which included "an end to CIA flights". There is a feeling throughout Europe, that the US can't fight this "intelligence" war properly. 4 years ago, they didn't have interpreters, translators, and thus asked the Mossad for that assistance in Iraq at the beginning. A very sensitive decision, which alienated them from many of their potential allies in the region. They relied on both Jordanian and Pakistani intelligence for nearly 3 years - the "early files of Zarqwari". They spent 2 years after 911 recruiting muslims, and those of muslim appearance. (they can look just like southern europeans you know) and their attack on Iraq was meant to "open a battle ground". & now in Pakistan (at least before the earthquake) they were being told in clear terms "to remember whose house you're in". Fact is, the CIA disregard and contempt for other national security agencies has undermined future co-operation in security concern. The CIA are now in diplomatic conflict with their Afghani allies, and thanks to their shoddy treatment of the Pakistanis have possibly lost their "edge" on any future Iranian crises.

In short, the CIA aren't that terribly good at what they do. Get that in to your head.

Theirs' was and is a strategy which is unsustainable, and gives small rewards a huge cost. Cost in terms of our civilised values and erosion of quality of life.
Issues which were never important in the USA, because despite their self-perception, North Americans never enjoyed that quality of life :
"free of intrusive surveillance".

by redjade Sat Nov 19, 2005 15:00

Europeans Probe Secret CIA Flights
Questions Surround Possible Illegal Transfer of Terrorism Suspects
Washington Post
Nov. 16 -- Several European governments have opened investigations into a fleet of CIA-operated airplanes that have crisscrossed the continent hundreds of times in recent years. The aim is to determine whether U.S. officials secretly used local airports and military bases to transfer terrorism suspects under conditions that violate local and international treaties.

[....]

In recent weeks, Ireland and Denmark have also protested the presence of CIA-operated aircraft in their countries, in response to concerns that the planes could have been transferring prisoners, either to the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, or to secret CIA-run prisons elsewhere in the world.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/16/AR2005111602198_pf.html


-- -- --

Craig Whitlock's article doesn't explain what he means by 'protested' - perhaps we can send him an email about what's happening in Ireland....

Craig Whitlock: whitlockc@washpost.com