The Conference of Presidents agreed today to set up a temporary committee of the European Parliament to investigate allegations of the transport and illegal detention of prisoners by the CIA in European countries. This decision still has to be endorsed by the full Parliament and the vote will take place on Wednesday 18 January in Strasbourg. The list of members of the committee will be approved on 19 January.
The temporary committee's draft mandate, as proposed by the Conference of Presidents, will be to collect and analyse information to find out:
- whether the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or other US agents or intelligence services of other third countries have carried out abductions, "extraordinary rendition", detentions at secret sites, torture, inhuman or degrading treatment of prisoners on EU territory or in acceding or candidate countries, or have used this territory to these ends, for example by through flights to or from such countries;
- whether such actions, which would have been carried out as part of the fight against terrorism, could be considered a violation of Article 6 of the EU Treaty, of certain provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights, of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and of other international treaties and agreements, including EU-US agreements on extradition;
- whether EU citizens have been detained;
- whether EU Member States or institutions have been involved or have been complicit in the illegal deprivation of the liberty of individuals.
The Conference of Presidents also states that the temporary committee will liaise and cooperate "as closely as possible" with, inter alia, the Council of Europe, the European Commissioner responsible for human rights, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights and with national parliaments. It also states that the committee should submit an interim report within four months after it starts work.
The committee will be composed of 46 Members of the European Parliament.
Under Rule 175 of its Rules of Procedure, the European Parliament may set up a temporary committee at any time. The mandate runs for a maximum of twelve months, unless Parliament decides to extend it.
