Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) rendition operations

6.3.2013

Question for written answer E-002654-13
to the Council
Rule 117
Pino Arlacchi (S&D)

A new report published this month by the Open Society Justice Initiative denounces the extent of the CIA’s use of extraordinary rendition — the practice of abducting suspected terrorists and transferring them to countries with reputations for torturing prisoners during interrogations. According to the report, 54 countries participated in the US secret detention program. In many of these countries, the rule of law is weak or nonexistent, such as in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, Malaysia and Somalia. But even more alarming is the collusion of full-fledged democracies such as Belgium, Finland and Denmark, which, according to the report, have allowed their airports and airspace to be used for flights associated with CIA rendition operations. Moreover, the report states that Britain, Italy, Germany and Australia have helped interrogate one or more suspects and either allowed or actively aided in their transfers to countries known for torturing prisoners. Parliament has on many occasions reiterated its condemnation of the practices of extraordinary rendition, secret prisons and torture.

Given the facts denounced by the Open Society Justice Initiative report:

Could the Council issue a declaration acknowledging EU Member States’ involvement in the CIA programme?

Could the Council hold hearings with the relevant EU security agencies, in particular Europol, Eurojust and the EU Counter-terrorism Coordinator, to clarify their knowledge of Member States’ involvement in the CIA programme, and the EU’s response?

Is the Council willing to propose safeguards so as to guarantee respect for human rights in intelligence-sharing activities, and a strict delimitation of roles between intelligence and law-enforcement activities so that intelligence agencies are not permitted to assume powers of arrest and detention?

OJ C 6 E, 10/01/2014