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New Reprieve research suggests CIA jets refuelled in Scotland over 100 times

Six named individuals were transported to torture with the help of Scottish territory



"Guantánamo Bay Express” used Scottish airports at least 50 times

Scottish authorities deliberately misled by Polish aviation authorities and a CIA company with an office in Crawley, in the rendition of Khaled Sheikh Mohammed



UK charity Reprieve, which fights for prisoners denied justice in the name of the “war on terror”, welcomes the Scottish parliament’s decision to investigate fully the use of Scottish airports to support the CIA’s illegal renditions programme.

Investigative research carried out by Reprieve has found that Scottish airports were a key staging point in the renditions circuit, regularly used for the refuelling of notorious CIA jets, such as the N379P Gulfstream Jet, also known as the “Guantánamo Bay Express”. In total 24 CIA jets stopped to refuel on Scottish soil at least 107 times between 2001 and 2005.

Reprieve presents clear evidence of systematic deception and cover-up in the rendition of Khaled Sheikh Mohammed. Scottish aviation personnel were deliberately misled by the Polish aviation authorities and a company employed by the CIA that has an office in Crawley, England. False flight plans were filed when the plane left Poland for Glasgow saying that the plane had come from Prague when in fact it had come from dropping off Khaled Sheikh Mohammed at an airport servicing a secret prison in Poland.

Commenting ahead of a meeting with Scottish Justice Minister Kenny Macaskill MSP, Clive Stafford Smith, Legal Director of Reprieve, said:

“Despite being availed of this information for over a year, the Westminster government and Scotland Yard have both been entirely derelict in their duty to investigate or prosecute. There is extremely serious evidence of systematic cover-up of transfers to torture, and nothing has been done to prevent this happening again in the future.

This shows that the Westminster government and the Metropolitan police cannot be trusted to take responsibility for investigating, prosecuting and preventing the use of Scottish territory and resources in torture and enforced disappearance.”

Clive Stafford Smith continued:

“Enforced disappearance, illegal transfer and the torture of prisoners in the name of the ‘war on terror’ raise the most serious moral concerns and issues under international law. Scottish airports have played central roles in facilitating the secret CIA programme, which has involved the torture and abuse of an unknown number of individuals, many of whom, after their seizure, have simply disappeared.”

Reprieve’s research alleges that many of these CIA planes refuelled at Scottish airports en route to or from destinations known for extraordinary rendition and torture, visiting for example: Egypt (27 times); Jordan (39 times); Azerbaijan (15 times); Uzbekistan (15 times); Oman (12 times); Poland (6 times); Romania (7 times).

Torture guised as “serious interrogation” is known to be widespread in both Jordan and Egypt. Electric shock torture is particularly prevalent.

Reprieve’s research also suggests that transits through Scottish territory have been used to airlift personnel who have been taking part in the abuse of prisoners in these locations, and provided support for the inhuman interrogations in black sites in ‘New’ Europe.

Six named individuals have now been named as victims of Scottish refuelling rights: including Egyptian nationals Ahmed Agiza and Mohamed Al Zeri (seized in Sweden in December 2001) and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (seized in Pakistan on 1 March 2003).

Clive Stafford Smith continued:

“The Scottish police should launch an immediate and thorough criminal investigation into all aspects of Scottish complicity in extraordinary renditions and torture. We are talking about complicity in horrible crimes.

“The Scottish parliament should fully investigate these credible allegations of criminal conduct, and adopt measures to ensure that Scottish territory is never again implicated in such grave abuses of fundamental human rights. Westminster cannot be allowed, through its own actions or inaction, to force Scotland into criminal complicity.”

Ends

For further information or interviews please contact the Reprieve Press office on 0207 131 3609

Notes to Editors:

UK Charity Reprieve provides frontline investigation and legal representation to prisoners denied justice by powerful governments across the world, from death row to Guantánamo Bay.

We prioritise the cases of prisoners held governments that should be upholding the highest human rights standards enshrined in international law.

We help prisoners facing the death penalty, particularly in America or when British nationals are involved. And we help prisoners denied justice in the name of the “war on terror”, such as those held without charge or trial in Guantánamo Bay and the countless secret prisons beyond. None of these prisoners can afford to pay for representation.

SOURCE: Reprieve.org.uk