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CIA Torture Flights Landed on Canadian Soil At Least 74 Times Since 2001 |
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Written by Staff
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Friday, 24 February 2006 |
The Canadian Press has obtained documents under the Access To Information Act which confirm that so-called CIA rendition flights have landed on Canadian soil 74 times since 2001. According to Amnesty International, "under international law, it is illegal to transfer people from one country to another without any kind of judicial or administrative process". Nations that knowingly allow these flights to land on their soil even if it's only for re-fueling, can be found guilty of breaking that international law.
Canadian officials have continued to deny that the flights in question were actually carrying people who had been abducted and/or detained illegally by CIA operatives and were being transferred to secret detention centres throughout the globe more commonly referred to as "black sites". One such very public detention centre is the Cuban-based Guantánamo Bay.
Although the U.S. admit to using "rendition", officials maintain that the practice is for the sole purpose of transferring war on terror detainees from the country of capture to their home country or to other countries where they can be questioned, held or brought to justice. The U.S. however deny that they are transporting people to places that utilize torture techniques.
Concerns have been escalating in several countries that suspect CIA rendition flights have landed on their soil including the United Kingdom and the European Union. Although Canadian officials maintain that the flights in question in Canada showed no evidence of illegal activity, Anmesty International is still waiting for the Canadian government to provide proof that the flights were not used for illegal transport.
An Amnesty International spokesperson believes that Ottawa must be held responsible if evidence is submitted that confirms its role in human rights violations simply by knowingly being involved in a specific "chain of events". |
