CIA abuses (Council of Europe report)

The second report into illegal CIA activities in Europe by Council of Europe assembly draftsman Dick Marty (published on Friday) has revealed new evidence about the existence of CIA detention centres on European soil and the complicity of European governments in this practise. The Greens/EFA group is seeking to raise these issues in the European Parliament plenary session next week (1). Commenting on this, Greens/EFA Co-President Dany Cohn-Bendit said:

"Once again, we have evidence of serious human rights violations by the CIA on European soil and the complicity of EU governments in this process. Many EU Member States, which have tried to weasel out of the serious issues raised by the European Parliament investigation, have serious new questions to answer. Senator Marty not only presents evidence on the existence of CIA detention centres on European soil, but also of a NATO agreement, which served as a framework to facilitate this.

"All EU Member States have a duty to protect fundamental rights under the EU treaties; failure to do so must be treated with the seriousness it deserves, as provided for by the Treaties. For this reason we are calling from a meaningful response from the Council. I reiterate the call for those Member States that have not yet done so to start transparent investigations into these issues without delay."

Editors notes:

(1) The Greens/EFA group (in a letter signed by Co-Presidents Monica Frassoni and Dany Cohn-Bendit, and LIBE Committee Members Kathalijne Buitenweg and Cem Özdemir) has called on the President of the European Parliament to invite Senator Dick Marty (the Council of Europe Assembly's draftsman on illegal CIA activities in Europe) to present his report in the European Parliament. In addition, the group has called on the Council and Commission to make statements addressing the serious issues raised in Senator Marty's report to the plenary session in Strasbourg next week.

Press Service of the Greens/EFA Group
in the European Parliament

Richard More O' Ferrall,
Press Officer,
The Greens/EFA in the European Parliament
Tel: Brussels +32 2 2841667 / Strasburg +33 3 88174375
Mobile: +32-477-44-38-42
Fax: 0032 2 2844944
email: richard.moreoferrall@europarl.europa.eu