Member states continue to stick heads in the sand despite European Parliament findings on CIA abuses
15 February 2007
UK Euro MP Jean Lambert has today welcomed the European Parliament'sreport following the investigation into the CIA extraordinary renditionflights, and urged member states to continue with their own inquiries.
Jean, who sits on the European Parliament's Temporary Committee OfInquiry into the CIA abuses, today said that despite the efforts of somemember states to soften the report, it had sent a strong message that EUGovernment's could no longer 'stick their heads in the sand' and ignorethe problem.
Jean commented; "The so-called 'war' on terror has been used by some torework international law and defy international conventions on humanrights and the treatment of those detained (on suspicion, not proof)without trial or any due process. Human rights are universal andindivisible and the EU is committed to upholding these rights.
"This report confronts us with an uncomfortable reality, that /the CIAdid both abduct and transport civilians in EU countries, a practice thatmany EU governments and key officials in the EU institutions were awareof. We now urge Member State Parliaments and Governments to investigatefully what may have been happening on their territory.
"This must not be the end of the Parliament's involvement in this issueand we must be vigilant to ensure that its recommendations are acted on.As a member of the European Parliament's Human Rights and CivilLiberties Committees I will ensure that we re-evaluate our findings inthe coming months. We need clear rules to prevent external secretservices from carrying out human rights violations with impunity in EUterritory again."
ENDS
For more information please contact:Morwenna Holland, Media Officertel: 020 7407 6280 or 07813149812email: media@jeanlambertmep.org.ukwww.jeanlambertmep.org.uk
Notes to editors:
Jean Lambert: In October 2005 Jean was named MEP 2005 for Justice andHuman Rights. Jean was first elected Green Party Member of the EuropeanParliament for London in the 1999 European elections. She was re-electedin 2004. She is one of nine MEPs representing London and one of two UKGreen representatives in the European Parliament.
