The Long Wait for Justice

Le Monde Diplomatique, France

The Law Will Catch Up With CIA's European 'Accomplices'

"All those who have participated in these abductions, leaders and their underlings, must fear justice."

By Ignacio Ramonet

Translated By Pascaline Jay

March 2007 Issue

France – Le Monde Diplomatique – Original Article (French)

Indecency? Cynicism? Perversion? How to qualify the attitude of European governments, which have been caught red-handed acting as accomplices with foreign intelligence services [the CIA] in the clandestine removal of dozens of suspects – who were then dragged into secret prisons and tortured? Can one imagine a more obvious violation of the rights of the human person?

Two events testify to the sense of schizophrenia. First, on February 7 in Paris, the solemn signing by a majority of European governments of the U.N. Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance took place, which criminalizes the use of secret prisons. Then on February 14 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, a report was adopted accusing these very same governments of complicity with the Central Intelligence Agency (America) CIA in clandestine removals [euphemistically referred to in the U.S. as extraordinary renditions WATCH ].

According to this report, between 2001 and 2005, CIA aircraft stopped no less than 1245 times at European airports, often cattrying suspects who were victims of "enforced disappearances" being clandestinely sent to the illegal prison at Guantanamo or prisons in allied countries where the use of torture is a regular practice (Egypt, Morocco). It is now obvious that European governments were well aware of the criminal nature of these secret flights. And certain among them did far more than close their eyes. Indeed, Poland and Romania are particularly suspected of having created "mini Guantanamos" on their soil, where people abducted from Pakistan, Afghanistan or elsewhere awaited their transfer elsewhere.

The British government is suspected of having taken part in the abduction of suspects and their abuse. So are the Swedish and Austrian governments. As for the German authorities, they have been shown - inter alia - of "not having been unaware" of the abduction of one of their own citizens, Mr. Khaled Al-Masri, and man of Lebanese origins who had been transferred to Afghanistan. In addition, the Italian secret services are accused of having helped CIA agents with the secret abduction in Milan of Imam Hassan Moustapha Ossama Nasr, a.k.a. "Abu Omar," who has been transferred to Egypt where he was apparently tortured and raped .

This massive violation of human rights couldn’t have happened without the consent of the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Mr. Javier Solana, and those of his associate, E.U. Anti-Terrorism Coordinator Mr. Gijs de Vries. In an eloquent gesture, Mr. de Vries decided to quit: "Democratic states" he warned, "must carry out the battle against terrorism within the framework of respect for the law … Guantánamo, Abu Ghraib, military commissions and CIA renditions have undermined the credibility of the United States and Europe."

All those who have participated in these abductions, leaders and their underlings, must fear justice. They should also meditate on the destiny of Maria Estela Martinez, a.k.a. "Isabelle Peron." Peron was the president of Argentina – a country where in the name of counter-terrorism, the authorities practiced the massively abduction of people for political reasons. She was just arrested in Madrid, accused of the "enforced disappearance" of student Hector Faguetti in February 1976, thirty one years ago … Justice is slow, but it must be inexorable.