Sunday 26 April 2009

Polish complicity in CIA's illegal activities

While General Musharraf and his government of Pakistan have been complicit with US in arresting and handing over Pakistani nationals, "suspected" of terrorist links, to CIA for "rendition" and "detention" without any recourse to legal support and justice, Government of Poland has allegedly allowed CIA to use its territory to carry out these rendition and detention activities. Only those involved know as to how many Pakistani nationals ended up being tortured in CIA custody in Poland.

To be fair, National Public Prosecutor's office in Poland has opened up an investigation to find out truth about this and hold those responsible to account. Through the Amnesty International website I have written to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk asking him to make public the findings of the investigation to ensure that there is full accountability for human rights violations. I would strongly urge my readers to register with the Amnesty International website and write to Polish Prime Minister. It does not take more than five minutes to join and send a pre-drafted message from the following link.

I had lived in Poland for some years and still look at the country with affection and treat her as my second home. It comes as a surprise to me when a nation like Poland which was a victim of Nazi atrocities herself and later of Soviet oppression and deeply understands the impact of torture and illegal detention, gets involved with CIA's covert illegal activities. Public scrutiny of this investigation and any prosecutions that might happen as a result will help clear the doubts about Polish involvement in illegal CIA activities.

Text of the message to Prime Minister Tusk is as follows:

"I am writing to welcome the investigation of the National Public Prosecutor’s office into allegations that Poland hosted a secret detention centre, run by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), where crimes including torture and enforced disappearance were committed.

This is a positive step towards unveiling the truth and ensuring there is no impunity for human rights violations. I am asking you, as Prime Minister of Poland, to ensure that the investigation is thorough, transparent and effective.

I call on you to:

· Issue a report on the scope and method of the investigation and ensure its findings and its methodology are made public

· Issue a statement that those who cooperate with the investigation will not be subsequently prosecuted for breaching secrecy laws and regulations;

· Guarantee that the prosecutor will not grant immunity from prosecution for involvement in human rights violations in exchange for information or evidence.

· Aid the prosecutor’s investigation by formally requesting that other governments, particularly the US government, cooperate with the investigation and share all relevant information on alleged secret detentions by the CIA in Poland.

Yours sincerely"

Readers, please raise your voice and join in.

No comments:

Post a Comment