Tuesday, November 11, 2003

Rendition Archipelago: the US torture system: "When Ottawa computer expert Maher Arar arrived back in Canada this week after a year of captivity, his account of torture in Syria and Jordan shocked many. "There have been a series of these renditions [deportation of detainees to foreign countries for torture], mainly to countries in the Middle East," says Tom Malinowski, director of Human Rights Watch's office in Washington. "We don't really know how many people have been sent there, because it's kept highly secret."

"Both the United States and Canada are also bound by the International Convention Against Torture, which rules out surrendering citizens to countries that brutally violate human rights. However, intelligence agents, including former CIA operative and author Robert Baer, have admitted in media interviews that turning over suspected terrorists to countries noted for their violent interrogation methods is now common practice... "We are doing a number of (renditions) and they have been very productive," says a Washington Post report this week, quoting a "senior U.S. intelligence official." ... The most frequently used offshore torture depots are Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Morocco, human rights groups say."

To these locations the following must also be added to the 'Rendition Archipelego': Guantanomo Bay, Bagram airbase (Afghanistan), Baghdad airport, and probably many others.

No comments: