Vigil to highlight Shannon involvement in renditions and war

clare | rights, freedoms and repression | event notice Tuesday May 06, 2008 14:50 by John Lannon

The monthly vigil to protest against Shannon airport's role in renditions and war will take place on Sunday 11th May from 5 to 6pm. Meet at the small roundabout before the entrance to the airport

The European Parliament has implicated Ireland in the practice of rendition. Rather than take measures to identify past violations of Irish territory, or prevent future violations, the Irish Government has simply denied any possibility that Irish airports or airspace could have been used by US rendition flights. It has continued to insist that it may legitimately rely on US “assurances” that Ireland has not and will not be used for rendition purposes. Such assurances are meaningless and are no substitute for effective preventative measures.

This month the reality of the international networks of torture that are being facilitated by Shannon will be brought home to us by the attendance at the vigil of former Guantánamo detainee, Murat Kurnaz. He spent almost five years as a prisoner in the so-called ‘war on terror’, first in Kandahar in Afghanistan and then for over four and a half years in Guantánamo Bay before being released.

Guantanamo, torture, renditions and illegal detention sites are part of the gross disregard for international law and human dignity that the United States government has displayed since 11 September 2001. Murat Kurnaz will attend the vigil at Shannon airport 11 May to highlight not only his own experience but to stand in solidarity with those that condemn the illegal practice of rendition (abduction) and Ireland's involvement in it.