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Demonstration planned in response to torture flights

by: Martha-Page Ransdell

London: The call came in response to a Council of Europe report into European governments’ complicity in US “special rendition” flights, which was released earlier this week.

The Liberty demonstration will be held on Sunday 25 June, from 12 pm until 2 pm, at the United States Embassy in Grosvenor Square, London. Liberty is asking all participants to wear black to the demonstration, and if possible, to wear Liberty’s “No Torture, No Compromise” campaign t-shirts.

What the report says

The Council of Europe report, published on 7 June, states that CIA flights carrying terror suspects who are likely to face torture, have been given access to UK airspace and airports and those of 13 other European countries. The report concludes that there is a web of CIA rendition flights across the world, which carry terror suspects to third countries to be tortured.

Swiss Senator Dick Marty prepared the report for the Council of Europe. While Marty concluded that the US must claim responsibility for the rendition flights, he stated that the programme is only able to continue with the “the intentional or grossly negligent collusion of the European partners.”

In light of the report, Liberty is demanding an independent inquiry into UK assistance with CIA torture flights. Since November 2005, the group has warned the British government that the UK will breach domestic and international law if CIA extraordinary rendition flights have been allowed to land and re-fuel in Britain.

Blair’s response

British prime minister Tony Blair dodged questions of rendition during prime minister’s question time on 7 June. When asked by Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Menzies Campbell whether the UK has given any support for rendition to the CIA, Blair replied: “We have said absolutely all we have to say on this. There is nothing more to add to it. I have to say the Council of Europe report adds absolutely nothing new whatever to the information we have.”

For more information on the demonstration being planned by Liberty, visit their website at http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk.">http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk.">http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk.">http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk. To read the full-length report by the Council of Europe, click on the following link http://assembly.coe.int/CommitteeDocs/2006/20060124">http://assembly.coe.int/CommitteeDocs/2006/20060124">http://assembly.coe.int/CommitteeDocs/2006/20060124">http://assembly.coe.int/CommitteeDocs/2006/20060124_Jdoc032006_E.pdf.