MEP: Pact of silence over CIA abuses

The committee, which began its probe after claims the US flew suspects to secret prisons in countries that regularly use torture, today said it had discovered a “widespread regular practice” of human rights violations by the CIA in Europe.

The MEPs said they had documented a series of incidents in which terror suspects were kidnapped by the CIA in Europe, or handed over to the agency by European officials in violation of human rights treaties.

They said they had also found that the CIA had conducted more than 1,000 undeclared flights over European territory since the September 11 attacks in 2001, some carrying suspected terrorists to countries where they could face torture.

In a preliminary report, the committee said suspects were often transported across Europe by the same planes and groups of people working for the CIA.

“There is now no doubt that the CIA has been responsible for the abduction and illegal detention of alleged terrorists on EU soil,” Ms Ludford said.

“It is also now clear that EU governments have either passively turned a blind eye, or actively collaborated with the CIA.

“There must be an end to ducking and weaving. European citizens are owed a clear explanation of what their governments have got up to in turning a blind eye or actively colluding with the worst aspects of the Bush administration’s war on terror.

“Despite the Mafia-style ‘pact of silence’ to deny any knowledge or involvement of governments or state agents in rendition cases, the committee must increase the pressure for the truth to come out.”

Italian MEP Giovanni Claudio Fava, who drafted the report, said: “After 9/11, within the framework of the fight against terrorism, the violation of human and fundamental rights was not isolated or an excessive measure confined to a short period of time, but rather a widespread regular practice in which the majority of European countries were involved.”

He said it was unlikely that governments such as Italy, Bosnia and Sweden knew nothing about CIA operations.

A spokeswoman for Mr Fava said his statement referred to “extraordinary renditions” of terror suspects by American agents in Europe outside the established system of international law, as well as to allegations outside his jurisdiction, such as the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

The European committee began its inquiry in January and has until the same time next year to finish the probe.

The preliminary report was based on data from Eurocontrol, the EU’s air safety agency, and three months of hearings including more than 50 hours of testimony.

EU officials, human rights groups and individuals who said they were kidnapped by US agents and tortured all took part.

Mr Fava said data showed that CIA planes made numerous stops on European territory that were never declared, violating an international treaty.

“The routes for some of these flights seem to be quite suspect … They are rather strange routes for flights to take. It is hard to imagine … those stopovers were simply for providing fuel,” he added.

The US has made no public comment on the allegations and the official line from EU governments and senior EU officials is that there has been no irrefutable proof of such renditions.

Friso Roscam Abbing, spokesman for EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini, today said there would be no comment until the investigation finished.

Mr Fava did not provide evidence of secret CIA prisons on EU territory, saying the committee would focus on alleged detention centres later this year.

Next month the committee plans to travel to Washington to discuss the allegations with members of Congress, top officials in George Bush’s administration and non-governmental organisations.

The CIA did not comment on today’s findings.