Amnesty urges action to ensure we are not party to human rights abuses

I WOULD just like to correct the record following your report (March 16) on Amnesty International’s report exposing the CIA’s secret prison network and the involvement of Shannon airport in the international network of torture and enforced disappearances.

Contrary to what appeared in the piece, there is no evidence that Mr al Maqtari was taken through Shannon airport and Amnesty International has not claimed such.

However, this does not mean we can ignore Ireland’s involvement in the renditions programme.

There is concrete evidence that Shannon is being used by those involved in kidnapping and torture, dressed up as part of a war on terror. The plane that flew Mr al Maqtari from Baghdad to Kabul came from Shannon, via Larnaca in Cyprus, which does mean that Irish territory was used to facilitate the renditions programme.

In light of these revelations, Amnesty International once again urges the Government to question the US assurances that our territory is not being used to commit such gross violations of international law.

Furthermore, the Government must put in place a system to monitor flights through Shannon and a regime of inspections to ensure that Ireland is not being used to facilitate kidnapping and torture. Ireland’s core values of respect for human rights and the dignity of the person are put at risk by our continued failure to ensure that we are not complicit in these crimes.

We welcome the response to our report from Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern who stated that Ireland is “totally opposed” to extraordinary rendition. But if such opposition is to have purpose and integrity, it requires action. It is not enough simply to rely on assurances from others; we must act to ensure we are not party to such grave human rights abuses and to prevent any use of our national territory to facilitate kidnapping and torture.

Colm O’Gorman

Executive Director

Amnesty International

Irish Section

Fleet Street

Dublin 2