Rights chief: Europe "complicit" in U.S. torture

Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's human rights commissioner, gives a press conference in Moscow Sept. 10, 2009. / AFP/Getty Images

BRUSSELS - Europe's human rights chief launched a blistering attack Thursday on European governments' counterterrorism actions, accusing them of helping the United States commit "countless" crimes in the past 10 years.

The 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks is an occasion to analyze whether the official responses have been proper and effective, said Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's rights commissioner.

"In attempting to combat crimes attributed to terrorists, countless further crimes have been committed in the course of the U.S.-led 'global war on terror,'" he said in a statement. "Many of those crimes have been carefully and deliberately covered up."

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European governments were "deeply complicit" in U.S. counterterrorism strategies, including torture, Hammarberg said. In a 2007 probe, Swiss politician Dick Marty accused 14 European governments of permitting the CIA to run detention centers or carry out rendition flights between 2002 and 2005.

"They permitted, protected and participated in CIA operations which violated fundamental tenets of our systems of justice and human rights protection," Hammarberg said, adding that the governments involved have blocked proper investigations into rendition cases in line with Washington's wishes.

"The message is clear — good relations between the security agencies are deemed more important than preventing torture and other serious human rights violations," he said.

The 47-nation Council of Europe believes more than a dozen European nations colluded in the CIA's rendition program, in which suspects were secretly sent to be held in nations that allow torture.

On Monday, the Council will publish a list of CIA "black sites" in Poland, Lithuania and Romania where detainees are believed to have been held covertly, said an official who asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the report.

Hammarberg cited the cases of several victims, including German car salesman Khaled El-Masri who underwent two renditions, first to Afghanistan and then to Albania, where he was dumped on a remote hillside in an apparent effort to cover up what officials later conceded was an error.

Hammarberg urged European governments to allow judicial scrutiny of abuses arising from the rendition operations, and to stop shielding those who collaborated with U.S. intelligence agencies in organizing the operations.

"So far Europe has granted effective impunity to those who committed crimes in implementing the rendition policy. An urgent rethink is required to prevent this misjudged and failed counterterrorism approach from having a sad legacy of injustice," he said.

[zoharme]

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[euge005]

about time someone remembers the war criminals. Next-indict the Chaney cabinate and extradite to the Hauge for trials. Then we can see which of the GOP pretenders have the honor to denounce these butchers.

[bigsk8fan]

too bad europe aided cheney's torture program. if all of europe had told cheney to take a leap, then the usa would have had to re-think its stance on torture. the most telling thing about torture being wrong comes from cheney, himself. cheney says it is ok to torture terrorists. but just as quickly, cheney says it would be wrong to torture an american that was captured by the enemy.

[euge005]

We all learned 10 years ago that Chaney and his pawn are incapable of telling the truth. It would put them on death row. There are still those that helped set the twin towers up for the 9-11 attacks with the explosives that are not even being looked for, easy bet either Chaney or Rumsfeld (or both) was behind it.

[fedup12]

I actually think Europe was completely responsible for USA's torture tactics.

Cheney was just a brainless pawn in the whole conspiracy.

[jgg000101]

what a freaken gasbag. This explains why obama won his nobel prize. hammarberg thinks obama will play ball and that by applying pressure on europe the whole thing will pop.
America is bad and evil. Good luck, moron. Let sweden defend the world from al qaeda and terrorism. But, gee, you sure do look like julian assange's father.

[Smokey75]

You lefties do realize he is talking about the Rendition Program that Obama continues to use today right? That means if they go after Bush then they will have to go after Obama also for torture charges.

See link from NY times

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/us/politics/25rendition.html

[PourpaixPourpaix]

I don't give a cherry rat's behind who has participated. It's wrong, Americans don't do that kind of thing, and those who participate should be prosecuted just the same as the German Nazis guilty of the same. As an American citizen, America will prosecute me if I go overseas and commit crimes, such as the clown who thought he'd go overseas and run an online gambling establishment in violation of US law. If I import wood that violates the laws of the country in which it was harvested, I go to jail. By the same token, prosecute any American who participates in torture.

[euge005]

Obama kept too many of the war criminal's policies, true. But they closed the camps for torture in these countries that Bush paid to do it for him. Bush sent the victims of his evil to Egypt and Syria to be tortured among other places. We can see that the people there respect those regimes as much as we respected Bush.

[DenverBroncofan]

@Sloughfoot...you are one sick individual, furthermore I would be willing to bet there isn't even 1 victim or relative of a victim from 911 that will agree with you. Credibility2 is right on the money...this is happening all over the globe and the Arab nations are probably the most guilty.

[Lifeson2112]

You just ask someone whose husband, father, sister or whatever are never coming home again because of a terrorist if it would have been okay to waterboard someone to keep it from happening.

[PourpaixPourpaix]

The feelings of a victim for petty revenge should never become the primary concern of those who determine what constitutes justice. Well, these clowns over here killed my brother, so that gives me license to do whatever I want to these other clowns over there? That is the sickest perspective I've seen here!

[IntegriyR]

Americans are regressing. Regressing to long before the US Constitution was created. Regressing to primitive people, violent, lawless, mobbing, emotionally unregulated people.

[Lifeson2112]

No, we're not. We're just tired of being PC and putting up with other people's thankless attitudes.

[credibility2]

...torture is done by all nations and governments, not just the EU countries and the U.S...I wish this organization were as vocal about condemning countries elsewhere, especially the Arab nations...

[Lifeson2112]

As if we care what any idiot in Europe thinks. We've already fought one war to get away from them.

[antoniof123]

Lifeson your an idiot the EU is the largest economy in the world and you will always be an idiot they worked with us to help bring down the USSR and now the new memembers may be kicked out you going to pay to suppor them.
Moron!

[Lifeson2112]

Typical left-wing rabid liberal.