Secret CIA prisons confirmed by Polish and Romanian officials

[cal04]

Source: Stephen Grey

The CIA operated secret prisons in Europe where terrorism suspects could be interrogated and were allegedly tortured, an official inquiry will conclude tomorrow.

Despite denials by their governments, senior security officials in Poland and Romania have confirmed to investigators for the Council of Europe that their countries were used to hold some of America's most important prisoners captured after 9/11 in secret.

None of the prisoners had access to the Red Cross and many were subject to what George Bush has called the CIA's "enhanced" interrogation methods. These included water-boarding which leads detainees to believe they are drowning, which critics have condemned as severe torture.

Although suspicions about the secret CIA prisons have existed for more than a year, the council's report, which has been seen by the Guardian, appears to offer the first concrete evidence. It also details the prisons' operations and the identities of some of the prisoners.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2097935,00.html

[Selatius]

1. To think we did this in the footprint of the old Soviet Union. n/t

[Kagemusha]

2. That's precisely why we did it there.

The governments knew how to shut up about it, too.

Bush admin will be very displeased. It made all sorts of very strong warnings about how this would harm the governments of Europe if their pious pretentions to morality exposed their own duplicitous cooperation.

[MasonJar]

3. This should make him very popular when he visits his 6 lucky countries.

[Solly Mack]

4. And yet Bush is still President

America must be so proud

[tabasco]

21. Not this American.

I am deeply ashamed and saddened by what we have allowed to happen.

All Americans must share this shame. It is time we did something about it.

[Solly Mack]

23. Me too, tabasco

very deeply ashamed

[CGowen]

5. k&r n/t

[POAS]

6. The first word that entered my mind was

Auschwitz.

[cal04]

7. Terror rendition prisons 'did exist'

Dick Marty, the author of a report for the Council of Europe, told Channel 4's Dispatches programme - 'we can now confirm that there were secret CIA prisons in Poland and Romania.'


http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/international_politics/terror+rendition+prisons+did+exist/550647

New report claims to prove existence of CIA jails in Europe
A Council of Europe investigator who last year accused European countries of participating in secret transfers of CIA terror suspects in a fresh report claims to have concrete details describing how clandestine jails operating in Romania and Poland housed ringleaders in the Qaeda movement.

Dick Marty, a Swiss senator who has been leading the inquiry for the pan-European rights watchdog, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, is to release his report Friday, based, he said, on information from disgruntled intelligence agents on both sides of the Atlantic, including members of the CIA counterterrorism center.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/07/news/prisons.php

[Demeter]

8. The Existence of Such Hellholes Isn't News

But somebody in authority actually admitting to their existence is.

Now, how about some indictments for war crimes, Europe?

[Gregorian]

9. It's time for the American Nuremberg trial.

And if one asks just what information they were attempting to illegally extract from these prisoners, just what would that be? 9/11? WMD's?

No matter how they spin it, this is a crime. Now the question is, is there rule of law.

[DemoTex]

15. The four basic Nuremberg indictments. They all fit Bu$hco.

1. Conspiracy to commit crimes against peace
2. Planning, initiating and waging wars of aggression
3. War-Crimes
4. Crimes against humanity

[Cults4Bush]

10. war cimes war crimes war crimes war crimes war crimes war crimes war crimes

start impeachment proceedings, already!!!!

[eagler]

11. The Dems have shown they don't have the balls to do what needs

to be done

[Cults4Bush]

12. ya know.. its not about balls or ovaries..its not about courage and spines.

Its their g'damned fucking jobs!
Its about upholding the rule of law for crimes as about as great as crimes come.

sorry I know preaching to the choir... but... yeah.

[Solly Mack]

18. Keep preaching :)

[Cults4Bush]

19. :)... dont think there is much choice:)

[cal04]

13. Guardian report confirms Raw Story piece: Larisa and David's report

"Senior security officials" in Romania and Poland have confirmed the existence of secret CIA detention centers used for high profile terror suspects taken into custody following 9/11, reports the Guardian

The British newspaper appears to confirm reporting done by Larisa Alexandrovna and David Dastych for RAW STORY in March. Alexandrovna and Dastych reported on a clandestine detention facility within Poland that was created with the approval of the US and Britain.

According to a Council of Europe report obtained by the Guardian the existence of detention centers inside Poland and Romania has been confirmed.

"None of the prisoners had access to the Red Cross and many were subject to what George Bush has called the CIA's 'enhanced' interrogation methods," reports the Guardian. "These included water-boarding which leads detainees to believe they are drowning, which critics have condemned as severe torture."

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Guardian_report_confirms_RAW_STORY_piece_0607.html

[hootinholler]

14. The trial of 26 US Citizens in absentia in Italy is happening shortly.

Ironically, Bush is scheduled to arrive in Italy on the first day of the trial.

-Hoot

[dbt]

16. Poland, we hardly knew ye.

The one thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.

[cal04]

17. Investigator: CIA ran secret prisons

The CIA ran secret prisons in Poland and Romania from 2003 to 2005 to interrogate detainees in its war on terror, European investigator Dick Marty said in a report released Friday.


The report, citing unnamed CIA sources, said top terror suspects Abu Zubaydah and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed were secretly held and interrogated in Poland, and that the "highest state authorities" in countries involved knew of the alleged detention centers.

Sheikh Mohammed is the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States. Abu Zubaydah is a suspected senior al-Qaida operative.

Marty also accused Germany and Italy of obstructing his probe into the alleged secret detentions by the CIA.

The report said collaboration by U.S. allies was critical to the secret detention program, which took place in the framework of
NATO's security policy.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070608/ap_on_re_eu/eu_cia_secret_prisons

[dipsydoodle]

20. BBC link

A Council of Europe investigator says he has evidence to prove the CIA ran secret jails in Poland and Romania to interrogate "war on terror" suspects.
Dick Marty, a Swiss senator, has been investigating CIA operations on behalf of the European human rights body.

In his new report, released on Friday, Mr Marty says secret CIA prisons "did exist in Europe from 2003 to 2005, in particular in Poland and Romania".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6733353.stm

[annabanana]

22. Please lean on your repug friends and neighbors...

Make sure they know that they are the prime enablers of this behavior.

[TheLastMohican]

24. How come Poland and Romania are being kept in EU?

Shouldn't they be just kicked out for such appalling behavior? Or is EU thinking it is okay to torture people and not give them a due process? Hypocrits.

[cal04]

25. Report names Poland and Romania in CIA scandal

(snip)

On Thursday, Marty accused the former Polish president, Aleksander Kwasniewski, and the current and former presidents of Romania, Ion Iliescu and Traian Basescu, of having known and approved of the secret CIA operations on their soil.

His report said US intelligence contacts and other sources confirmed Poland and Romania "did host secret detention centres under a special CIA programme established by the American administration in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 to 'kill, capture and detain' terrorist suspects deemed of 'high value'".

The Swiss senator added that Germany and Italy had used "state secrecy" to obstruct investigations.


EU involvement

The facilities were "run directly and exclusively by the CIA" and European governments connived with the secret transfers and detentions, known as extraordinary renditions, Marty said.

http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front/detail/Report_names_Poland_and_Romania_in_CIA_scandal.html?siteSect=105&sid=7907602&cKey=1181325427000

[wiggs]

26. We should go back through six years of denials now and just assume that

the many, many accusations and suspicions were true.

Yes they tortured. Yes they leaked Plame's name. Yes they bribed senators on medicare. Yes they used napalm and white phosporous in Iraq. Yes they lied about WMD. Yes they suppressed science regarding mining, grazing, global warming, water and air pollution. Yes they placed ringers in press conferences to get softball questions and favorable press. Yes big oil and coal wrote our nation's energy policy. Yes we wiretapped political opponents. Yes we fired non-believing generals for telling us the truth on Iraq. Yes our commander in chief was AWOL in the national guard. Yes we have done everyting we can to foment chaos in Iraq, including funding of sunni squads. Yes we fired and hired USAG's based on loyalty and willingness to suppress votes. And more and more and more....

Easy and right thing to do. Those pundits and representatives interested in accountability, responsibility, honesty, democracy, truth in journalism and those concerned with the future of our country are duty bound to do it. Is there anyone who really believes that the WH version of events, any events, deserved the benefit of the doubt? Plenty are acting like the administration deserves a break, but do they really believe it?

The Kucinich campaign should buy 15 minutes of prime time for a summary of all the misdeeds proved and suspected and call for support of his bill for impeachment. He won't ever get that kind of coverage in the House for his bill and in debates for his views.

ASSUME THE WORST AND MOST LIKELY IT WILL BE CLOSER TO THE TRUTH THAN THE WH SAYS!