Motion for a resolution - B7-0379/2013Motion for a resolution
B7-0379/2013

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on alleged transportation and illegal detention of prisoners in European countries by the CIA

4.9.2013 - (2013/2702(RSP))

further to Questions for Oral Answer B7‑0215/2013 and B7‑0216/2013
pursuant to Rule 115(5) of the Rules of Procedure

Sarah Ludford, Nathalie Griesbeck, Graham Watson, Ramon Tremosa i Balcells, Sophia in ‘t Veld on behalf of the ALDE Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0378/2013

Procedure : 2013/2702(RSP)
Document stages in plenary
Document selected :  
B7-0379/2013

B7‑0379/2013

European Parliament resolution on alleged transportation and illegal detention of prisoners in European countries by the CIA

(2013/2702(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) of 13 December 2012 which condemns the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) for the ‘extreme seriousness’ of the violations of the European Convention on Human Rights (Articles 3, 5, 8 and 13) during the extraordinary rendition of Khaled El-Masri,

–   having regard to the pending ECtHR cases of al Nashiri v Poland, Abu Zubaydah v Lithuania and Abu Zubaydah v Poland; having regard to the application filed by al Nashiri against Romania in August 2012 and the application filed in December 2012 by the Human Rights Monitoring Institute (HRMI) and the Open Society Justice Initiative against Lithuania for violation of their right to information and right to an effective remedy; having regard to the ECtHR case of Nasr and Ghali v Italy[1],

–   having regard to the Italian Supreme Court ruling of September 2012 which upheld the convictions of 23 American nationals in connection with the 2003 abduction of Abu Omar, including that of the former CIA Milan station chief Robert Seldon Lady, who was sentenced to nine years in prison,

–   having regard to the February 2013 decision of the Milan Appeals Court to sentence three other CIA agents[2], previously considered to be covered by diplomatic immunity, to six to seven years in prison; having regard to the decision of the Milan Appeals Court to also sentence Nicolò Pollari, the former head of the Italian Military Intelligence and Security Service (SISMI), to 10 years in prison, the former SISMI deputy head Marco Mancini to 9 years, and three SISMI agents to 6 years each,

–   having regard to Italian President Napolitano’s decision of 5 April 2013 to pardon US Colonel Joseph Romano, who had been convicted in Italy for his responsibility in the abduction of Abu Omar in Italy; having regard to the letter asking for an explanation sent by the rapporteurs in July 2013 to Italian President Napolitano,

–   having regard to its resolution of 11 September 2012 on ‘alleged transportation and illegal detention of prisoners in European countries by the CIA: follow-up of the European Parliament TDIP Committee report (2012/2033(INI))’[3],

–   having regard to the documents forwarded to the rapporteur by the Commission, including non-country-specific letters sent in March 2013 to all Member States, to which only a few Member States (Finland, Hungary, Spain and Lithuania) replied,

–   having regard to its resolutions on Guantánamo, the most recent being that of 23 May 2013 on ‘Guantánamo: hunger strike by prisoners’[4],

–   having regard to its resolution of 12 December 2012 on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union (2010-2011)[5],

–   having regard to the letters sent by the rapporteur to the Romanian, Polish and Lithuanian prosecutors and the Romanian, Polish and Lithuanian heads of state in November 2012, highlighting the country-specific recommendations made in Parliament’s aforementioned resolution of 11 September 2012, to which no Member State has replied,

–   having regard to the flight data received from Eurocontrol up to September 2012,

–   having regard to the request sent in April 2013 by the rapporteur to the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA) for cooperation on disclosure of flight data and to the Agency’s positive reply of June 2013,

–   having regard to the Council conclusions on fundamental rights and rule of law and on the 2012 Commission Report on the Application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (Luxembourg, 6 and 7 June 2013),

–   having regard to the ‘Stockholm Programme – An open and secure Europe serving and protecting citizens (2010-2014)’,

–   having regard to the opening statement delivered by the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, Navi Pillay, at the 23rd session of the Human Rights Council (Geneva, May 2013), quoting Parliament’s aforementioned resolution of 11 September 2012 and asking for ‘credible and independent investigations’ as ‘a vital first step towards accountability’ and ‘[calling] on States to make this a priority’,

–   having regard to the 2013 annual report[6] of the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Ben Emmerson, citing Parliament’s work and endorsing some of the recommendations made in its aforementioned resolution of 11 September 2012,

–   having regard to the numerous media reports and acts of investigative journalism, in particular – but not limited to – investigative work broadcast on the Romanian Antena 1 television channel in April 2013,

–   having regard to the research and investigations carried out notably by Interights, Redress and Reprieve, and the reports produced since the adoption of Parliament’s report by independent researchers, civil society organisations and national and international non‑governmental organisations, in particular the Open Society Justice Initiative’s report on ‘Globalising Torture: CIA Secret Detention and Extraordinary Rendition’ (February 2013), the independent, bipartisan study carried out in the USA by the Constitution Project’s Task Force on Detainee Treatment (April 2013), the Rendition Flights Database published by the UK academic Rendition project (May 2013), Amnesty International’s report ‘Unlock the truth: Poland’s involvement in CIA secret detention’ (June 2013), and the Human Rights Watch letter to the Lithuanian authorities (June 2013),

–   having regard to the questions tabled to the Council and the Commission on alleged transportation and illegal detention of prisoners in European countries by the CIA (O‑00079/2013 – B7‑0215/2013 and O-000080/2013 – B7‑0216/2013),

–   having regard to Rules 115(5) and 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Parliament has condemned the US-led CIA rendition and secret detention programmes involving multiple human rights violations, including unlawful and arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment, violations of the non-refoulement principle, and enforced disappearance using European airspace and territory by the CIA; whereas Parliament has repeatedly called for full investigations into collaboration by national governments and agencies with the CIA programmes;

B.  whereas Parliament undertook to continue fulfilling the mandate given to it by the Temporary Committee, pursuant to Articles 2, 6 and 7 of the Treaty on European Union, and instructed its relevant committees to address Parliament in plenary on the matter a year after the adoption of the aforementioned resolution of 11 September 2012, as it considered it essential to assess the extent to which the recommendations adopted by Parliament had been implemented;

C. whereas accountability for renditions is essential in order to protect and promote human rights effectively in the EU’s internal and external policies, and to ensure legitimate and effective security policies based on the rule of law; whereas the EU institutions have recently engaged in a debate on how the EU can better protect and promote fundamental rights and the rule of law;

D. whereas there have been no substantive replies from the Council and the Commission to Parliament’s recommendations;

E.  whereas the Lithuanian authorities have reiterated their commitment to reopening the criminal investigation into Lithuania’s involvement in the CIA programme if new elements emerge, but still have not done so; whereas in their observations to the ECtHR in the case of Abu Zubaydah, the Lithuanian authorities demonstrated critical shortcomings in their investigation and a failure to grasp the meaning of the new information; whereas the Lithuanian authorities hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2013;

F.  whereas the in-depth investigative work broadcast on the Antena 1 television channel in April 2013 provided further indications of Romania’s central role in the prison network; whereas former national security advisor Ioan Talpeş stated that Romania provided logistical support for the CIA; whereas a former Romanian senator admitted the limitations of the previous parliamentary inquiry and called for prosecutors to initiate judicial proceedings;

G. whereas a request was filed with Polish prosecutors on 11 June 2013 for a third man, Yemenite Walid Mohammed Bin Attash, to be officially recognised as a victim after he was illegally arrested in Pakistan in 2003, kept in a secret prison in Poland from June to September 2003 and subsequently moved to Guantánamo, where he remains; whereas Polish prosecutors have extended until October 2013 a five-year-old criminal investigation;

H. whereas the British authorities are raising procedural obstacles to the civil claim brought in the UK by Libyan Abdel Hakim Belhadj, allegedly rendered to torture in Libya by the CIA with British assistance, and have expressed their intention of seeking to have evidence heard in secret;

I.   whereas in December 2012 Italy issued an international arrest warrant against Robert Seldon Lady, who was arrested in Panama in July 2013; whereas the extradition request subsequently made by Italy was not accepted by Panama, and Robert Seldon Lady was returned to the United States in July 2013; whereas Italian President Giorgio Napolitano decided on 5 April 2013 to pardon US Colonel Joseph Romano, who was convicted by an Italian court for his responsibility in the abduction of Abu Omar in Italy;

J.   whereas in November 2012 the Parliamentary Ombudsman of Finland initiated an investigation into the use of Finnish territory, airspace and flight records systems in the CIA rendition programme, sent detailed written requests for information to 15 government agencies and asked the Lithuanian authorities for specific information on related flights;

K. whereas US President Obama has reiterated his commitment to closing Guantánamo, announced on 23 May 2013, to restarting the release of detainees and to lifting a moratorium on the release of Yemeni prisoners who have already been deemed safe to transfer back to Yemen, despite resistance in the US Congress; whereas the US authorities must honour their international obligations in terms of prosecuting Robert Seldon Lady;

1.  Deeply deplores the failure in the implementation of the recommendations contained in Parliament’s aforementioned resolution of 11 September 2012, notably by the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, candidate states and associated countries, NATO, and the US authorities, especially in the light of the serious fundamental rights violations suffered by the victims of the CIA programmes;

2.  Considers that the climate of impunity regarding the CIA programmes has enabled the continuation of fundamental rights violations in the counter-terrorism policies of the EU and the US, as further revealed by the mass spying activities of the US National Security Agency surveillance programme and the activities of surveillance bodies in various Member States, which are currently being investigated by Parliament;

Accountability process in the Member States

3.  Reiterates its call on those Member States that have not fulfilled their positive obligation to conduct independent and effective inquiries to investigate human rights violations, taking into account all the new evidence that has come to light, and to disclose all necessary information on all suspect planes associated with the CIA and their territory; calls in particular on the Member States to investigate whether operations have taken place whereby people have been held under the CIA programme in secret facilities on their territory;

4.  Urges Lithuania, currently holding the EU Council presidency and thus in a position to lead by example, to reopen the criminal investigation into CIA secret detention facilities and to conduct a rigorous investigation by considering all the factual evidence that has been disclosed, notably regarding the Abu Zubaydah v Lithuania ECtHR case; asks Lithuania to allow investigators to examine comprehensively the renditions flight network and contact persons publicly known to have organised or participated in the flights in question; asks the Lithuanian authorities to carry out a forensic examination of the prison site and analysis of phone records; urges the Lithuanian authorities to fully cooperate with the ECtHR in the Abu Zubaydah v Lithuania and HRMI v Lithuania ECtHR cases; calls on Lithuania, in the context of reopening the criminal investigation, to consider applications for status/participation in the investigation from other potential victims; urges Lithuania to respond in full to requests for information from other EU Member States, in particular the request for information from the Finnish Ombudsman regarding a flight or flights that may link Finland and Lithuania on a possible rendition route;

5.  Urges the Romanian authorities to locate all missing parliamentary inquiry documents and swiftly to open an independent, impartial, thorough and effective investigation; deplores their intransigence and silence in this regard, which are incompatible with their obligations;

6.  Asks Poland to continue the investigation with greater transparency, notably by offering evidence of concrete developments in its investigation, by allowing victims’ representatives to meaningfully represent their clients and by allowing them their right to access all relevant classified material, and to act on the material that has been collected; calls on the Polish authorities to start criminal prosecutions against any implicated state actor; urges the Polish General Prosecutor to review, and make a decision as a matter of urgency regarding, the application of Walid Bin Attash; calls on Poland to cooperate in full with the ECtHR regarding the cases of Al-Nashiri v Poland and Abu Zubaydah v Poland;

7.  Calls on the British authorities to cooperate fully with ongoing criminal investigations and to allow civil claims to proceed in full transparency in order to conclude those investigations and claims concerning the rendition of foreign nationals overseas; asks the British authorities to establish a human-rights-compliant inquiry into the rendition, torture and ill-treatment of detainees abroad;

8.  Deplores the pardon of US Colonel Joseph Romano by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, which has contributed to the overall environment of impunity for those implicated in the US-led rendition and secret detention programmes; encourages the Italian authorities to continue their efforts to obtain justice regarding human rights violations by the CIA on its territory, by insisting on the extradition of Robert Seldon Lady and requesting the extradition of the other 22 US nationals convicted in Italy;

9.  Encourages the Finnish Ombudsman to complete his investigation with transparency and accountability and, to this end, urges all national authorities to cooperate fully; asks Finland to pursue any leads that implicate Finnish state actors in the rendition programme;

Response of the EU institutions

10. Is highly disappointed by the Commission’s refusal to respond in substance to Parliament’s recommendations, and deems the letters sent by the Commission to the Member States to be insufficient for achieving accountability on account of their generic nature;

11. Reiterates its specific recommendations to the Commission:

–   to investigate whether EU provisions, in particular those on asylum and judicial cooperation, have been breached by collaboration with the CIA programme,

–   to facilitate and support human-rights-compliant mutual legal assistance and judicial cooperation between investigating authorities and cooperation between lawyers involved in accountability work in Member States,

–   to adopt a framework, including reporting requirements for Member States, for monitoring and supporting national accountability processes,

–   to adopt measures aimed at strengthening the EU’s capacity to prevent and provide redress for human rights violations at EU level and to provide for the strengthening of Parliament’s role,

–   to put forward proposals on developing arrangements for democratic oversight of cross-border intelligence activities in the context of EU counter-terrorism policies;

12. Urges the Lithuanian authorities to seize the opportunity of their country’s EU Council presidency to ensure the full implementation of the recommendations contained in Parliament’s report and thus to put the issue on the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council agenda before the end of the Lithuanian presidency;

13. Reiterates its specific recommendations to the Council:

–   to present apologies for having violated the principle enshrined in the Treaties of loyal cooperation between the Union institutions when it incorrectly attempted to persuade Parliament to accept the provision of deliberately shortened versions of the minutes of the meetings of COJUR and COTRA with senior American officials,

–   to issue a declaration acknowledging Member States’ involvement in the CIA programme and the difficulties encountered by Member States in the context of inquiries,

–   to give its full support to the truth-finding and accountability processes in the Member States by formally addressing the issue at JHA meetings, sharing all information, providing assistance to inquiries and, in particular, acceding to requests for access to documents,

–   to hold hearings with relevant EU security agencies to clarify their knowledge of Member States’ involvement in the CIA programme and the EU’s response,

–   to propose safeguards so as to guarantee respect for human rights in intelligence‑sharing, 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;

14. Calls on the Council and the Commission to include, in their respective multiannual programmes succeeding the Stockholm Programme, specific measures to ensure the rule of law and accountability for fundamental rights violations, especially by intelligence services and law enforcement authorities; asks the Commission to include the issue of accountability on the agenda for the ‘Assises de la Justice’ to be held in November 2013;

15. Recalls that it is essential, in order to ensure Parliament’s credibility, to substantially reinforce its rights of inquiry in the investigation of fundamental rights violations in the EU, which should include full power to hear under oath the people involved, including government ministers[7];

16. Asks Eurocontrol to recognise, as the American Federal Aviation Authority does, that flight route data should in no way be considered confidential and to release such data as are necessary for effective investigations;

17. Expects its inquiry into the US National Security Agency surveillance programme and surveillance bodies in various Member States to propose measures for effective democratic parliamentary oversight of intelligence services;

18. Asks the EU to carefully review FYROM’s progress in implementing the El-Masri v Macedonia decision of the ECtHR, which the Committee of Ministers has now subjected to its enhanced process in the context of FYROM’s bid for accession; urges FYROM’s authorities to open a criminal investigation into state actors’ complicity in the El-Masri case and to hold those responsible to account;

19. Calls on the US Government to cooperate with all requests from EU Member States for information with regard to the CIA programme, and especially requests for extradition; urges the US Government to stop using draconian protective orders which prevent lawyers acting for Guantánamo Bay detainees from disclosing information regarding any detail of their secret detention in Europe; encourages the US Government to complete its plan to promptly close the Guantánamo Bay prison; asks the Member States to take Guantánamo detainees cleared for resettlement;

20. Calls on the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar to start its cooperation with Parliament promptly by providing the requested information on flight data;

21. Calls on the next Parliament (2014-2019) to continue to fulfil and implement the mandate given by the Temporary Committee and consequently to ensure that its recommendations are followed up, to examine new elements that may emerge and to make full use of, and develop, its rights of inquiry;

22. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.