CIA Torture  : Report of Dick MARTY

 

 

 

 Why did you choose this subject?

 

 

We have chosen this subject because it is seems to bee a very interesting topic. It has made us reflect on two issues:

·        On the one hand, the issue of the illegal practises of the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)

·        One the other hand, the possible collaboration of European countries.

 

 

 

Context

 

The Swiss senator Dick Marty was charged by the Council of Europe to investigate into allegation that the CIA has operated secret detention centres in Eastern Europe. More particularly two countries are concerned : Romania and Poland. This information originates from several sources, mainly an article from the Washington Post published on the 25th November 2005, which reports on the starting point of  the Marty inquiry. The Marty report of 24th January 2006, is today very much debated.

 

 

Source Analysis

 

·        BBC News : British TV channel and the most popular radio in Great Britain.

·        New York Times, newspaper in New York

 

 

 

What do these two articles discuss ?

 

The articles from these two newspapers discuss the report by Swiss senator Mr. Dick Marty, who has denounced the existence of secret CIA detention centres in Eastern Europe, and the document appears to confirm the existence of secret CIA interrogation centres in several Eastern European countries. In the report he said that it is not possible to transport people from one place to another without collaboration from the European secret services. He accuses the US of violating human rights and has attacked European nations for their passivity concerning these violations.

However to illustrate his declaration he quotes as an example the Egyptian cleric, Osama Mustafa Hassan suspected of being a terrorist, who was kidnapped by CIA agents from Milan in 2003 and flown to Egypt for interrogation. In this report Mr. Marty affirms that the secret detention centres exist in two East European countries, particularly in Romania and Poland, but the two countries have denied these allegations.

            The US have refused to confirm the allegations concerning secret prisons and they have denied practising torture.

 

But other people like the deputy Denis MAC SHANE, member of the Blair government, and the BUSH Administration, see in this allegation a campaign against America. Furthermore, two Russian members of Parliament close to the Kremlin have granted their support to Mr. MARTY, fustigating the practices of the CIA, whereas torture is a current practice in Chechnya.

 

 

Our opinion :

 

According to us this article seems very interesting, because it highlights the illegal practices originating from a country which wants to be the defender of democracy. Indeed, "the outsourcing and subcontracting of torture has been set up" towards countries which have no rule of law.

Consequently the CIA has breached not only international law, but also the national law of the USA. The perfect illustration is Guantanamo which by its very location (CUBA) escapes more or less from American legal regulation.