Protest over use of Shannon Airport

Protesters tonight gathered outside Minister for Justice Michael McDowell’s constituency office in south Dublin demanding the Government take action over the use of Shannon Airport by CIA aircraft.

Alleging that military planes are smuggling suspected terrorists though Ireland, Cosantóirí na Síochána called on the minister to authorise searches of jets.

Mark Price, spokesman for the group, said: “There should be an immediate investigation to find out whether or not there have been grave breaches of human rights at Shannon.

“There is significant evidence that planes which have been involved in the rendition process in other countries have passed through Ireland,” he said.

“We want an inquiry about them, finding out when these planes came into Ireland, where they were going, and what they were doing.”

Around a dozen protesters with placards and banners gathered outside Mr Dowell’s constituency office in Ranelagh.

Mr Price noted evidence published by Amnesty International that six CIA chartered planes landed at Shannon Airport 50 times between September 2001 and September 2005.

He claimed this was a conservative figure.

Mr Price called on Mr McDowell to live up to the comments he made in the Seanad in June 2004.

Addressing the upper house, Mr McDowell said: “It would cause me grave concern if I thought people were being smuggled through Irish territory in circumstances that amounted to unlawful detention in Irish law or in international law for that matter”.

Mr Price added that political excuses were being rolled out in a bid to block any investigation into the CIA jets.

He said there was a feeling that by calling for an investigation or demanding searches that it would damage relations with the US, in particular economic ties.

“We can’t afford in this country to stand by while our human rights and obligations are being ignored.”