Obama allows CIA to carry out renditions

britexpat
By britexpat

Shows you that campaign ;promises and reality are two different things....:(

Barack Obama grants CIA permission to retain right to carry out renditions
Forced removals: hundreds of terrorism suspects have been transferred by the US to prisons in countries with questionable human rights records

Under executive orders signed on January 22, the CIA appears to have preserved its authority to carry out renditions – by which hundreds of terrorist suspects have been abducted and transferred to prisons in countries with questionable human rights records such as Egypt, Morocco or Jordan.

The measure, disclosed by the Los Angeles Times yesterday, gives some indication of how Mr Obama’s promise of change may be slower to be realised than once hoped, with the new Administration coming under concerted attack across a range of issues.

An administration official was quoted yesterday defending rendition. “Obviously you need to preserve some tools. You still have to go after the bad guys,” said the official. “It is controversial in some circles. But if done within certain parameters, it is acceptable.”

The European Parliament has condemned renditions, some of which have involved flights with stopovers in British territory, as illegal under international law.

In the executive orders the President merely promised a review of rendition policy, with the intention of ensuring that suspects were not sent to other countries “to face torture”. Dianne Feinstein, the Democratic chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, suggested yesterday that suspects would be held only temporarily in foreign prisons, but added: “The finer points of it have to be fleshed out.”

Clive Stafford Smith, the director of Reprieve, the British human rights group, said: “Western liberals are totally deluded at the moment. Like George Bush, who declared ‘mission accomplished’ on Iraq six years ago, they need to realise that the job is far from done. I believe that Obama’s heart is in the right place but he is surrounded by people in the US intelligence and military who don’t want either themselves or their policies subjected to too much scrutiny.”

Claude Moraes, the Labour MEP who was part of the European committee investigating CIA renditions, said that it was hard to criticise Mr Obama because he had “godlike status at the moment”, adding: “We should be pleased he has closed Guantánamo and acknowledged the existence of the secret CIA prisons. But if he’s going to complete the change, he must see that rendition is part of the package. I have heard testimony from people who have clearly been tortured in Egypt and Jordan. To deposit people in those prisons still speaks volumes about American foreign policy.”

Mr Obama, who has disappointed liberal activists by his reluctance to order investigations into alleged illegal acts carried out in the name of national security by the Bush Adminstration, also knows he must brace a war-weary public for a build-up of the battle against the Taleban and al-Qaeda.

The Times

By QT• 3 Feb 2009 22:52
QT

geez!

By bleu• 3 Feb 2009 22:51
bleu

What do you mean when you say "you don't mind USING Americans..."?

By Scarlett• 3 Feb 2009 07:52
Scarlett

posting the actual order...amazing how things can get changed from the beginning to the end. Reminds me of a game called Gossip, in which someone whispers a comment to someone else and by the time it was passed from person to person, it no longer resembles the original comment at all!!!

Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked,the good fortune to run into the ones I do,and the eyesight to tell the difference.

By Scarlett• 3 Feb 2009 07:50
Scarlett

ok, you say you don't hate Americans but with some of your other comments on other threads along with some of these...perhaps I used the wrong term...you don't mind USING Americans...

Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked,the good fortune to run into the ones I do,and the eyesight to tell the difference.

By Scarlett• 3 Feb 2009 07:47
Scarlett

this current President won't use such bad tactics.

As far as terrorists or people who have plotted to harm another country, as gloopygladys pointed out...if they intended or did actual harm to a country, that country should have the right to go get him, hold him and try him in the country that they were doing wrong. I was almost laughing at the comments that they should be tried in their own country as it would be a puppet court and they would be released as a "good citizen".

I disagree with torture in any situation however, if a government can't act upon what it finds out by its infomation sources, we'll very likely end up with another 9/11 in the very near future. That's what happened in that situation...they had all these little information pieces but no system in place to correlate it in time. That's not the case any more.

Proactive is much better than retroactive. It can save thousands of lives.

Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked,the good fortune to run into the ones I do,and the eyesight to tell the difference.

By bleu• 3 Feb 2009 07:19
bleu

The main thing I worry about is proof.

Does the CIA get actual proof when they say somebody is "conspiring and planning attacks on another country or the US" (sorry pm for quoting you).

And I'm also worried about them possibly using proof similar to the proof about Iraq.

I know that terrorists need to be handled, and I want the US to be a role-model for other countries.

By KellysHeroes• 3 Feb 2009 00:43
KellysHeroes

===================================== http://www.qatarliving.com/node/58409

By KellysHeroes• 3 Feb 2009 00:28
Rating: 2/5
KellysHeroes

I agree with you about Al Zawahiri.

Here is a link about the Candaian guy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maher_Arar

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/21/60II/main594974.shtml

===================================== http://www.qatarliving.com/node/58409

By KellysHeroes• 3 Feb 2009 00:21
Rating: 3/5
KellysHeroes

And some flee their countires because of injustice. It should be on case by case basis.

I do not know if you are aware of the Canadian (Syrian origin) who was arrested by the US and delivered (with love) to Syria. There he suffered like hell. Then he was released and sent back to Canada due to pressure exercised by human rights activists and the kidnapee wife.

Eventually Canada had to pay millions of dollars to comensate a stupid officer's mistake. US is not admitting their mistake (as usual)

btw. latest report about the German guy (Al Masri). It seems he is now residing inside the Coco's Nest

===================================== http://www.qatarliving.com/node/58409

By heero_yuy2• 3 Feb 2009 00:15
heero_yuy2

Let's just say Obama may continue an old program by the previous administration...but maybe it'll change a bit.

Let's just wait...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-rendition1-2009feb01,0,4661244.story

"Everything in this book may be wrong." Illusions: The Adventures of The Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach

By KellysHeroes• 3 Feb 2009 00:08
KellysHeroes

How are you dear?

Bottom line. Security officials have their own ways to go around laws and orders. This is valid and true everywhere in the world.

===================================== http://www.qatarliving.com/node/58409

By KellysHeroes• 2 Feb 2009 23:59
KellysHeroes

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,507455,00.html

===================================== http://www.qatarliving.com/node/58409

By anonymous• 2 Feb 2009 23:42
anonymous

If somebody does harm to my country and I arrest them, I will put them in my court with my judges. If they are found guilty; well let that country dictate the sentence.

Can you imagine after 9/11 if you had caught the real people, if you had sent them back to the country of origin? They would have been let off!

Live with it. I can't dictate the sentence of somebody that breaks into my house but I can try and trust the people that I voted in!

By anonymous• 2 Feb 2009 23:24
anonymous

her three kids are still missing

http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2008/2964/

By britexpat• 2 Feb 2009 23:06
Rating: 3/5
britexpat

Obama has given the CIA the green light to "continue" doing what they have under Bush.

This means that it's possible that new renditions will take place under Obama's watch..

By britexpat• 2 Feb 2009 22:07
britexpat

I don't think that you are really understanding what rendition flights do.

Why do you believe that things would be different under Obama ?

By britexpat• 2 Feb 2009 21:50
Rating: 4/5
britexpat

A German citizen of Lebanese descent has successfully sued the eastern European nation of Macedonia for 50,000 euros ($65,000) in damages after being abducted there by the CIA and flown to Afghanistan for interrogation on terrorism charges, his lawyer said Monday, Jan. 26.

According to his lawyer, Khaled el-Masri was arrested by the American intelligence agency in Skopje in December, 2003 and held in a hotel near the American embassy for three weeks before being flown on one of the CIA's infamous rendition flights to Afghanistan and tortured.

www.dw-world.de:

By britexpat• 2 Feb 2009 21:29
britexpat

Rendition flights have included taking Somalians and sending them to Ethiopia

By anonymous• 2 Feb 2009 21:14
anonymous

everybody want to be a terrorrrrrist

Check mate.....

By bleu• 2 Feb 2009 19:47
bleu

Wasn't rendition a violation of a country's sovereignty?

A country capturing people from another country without informing them, and moving them to the first or a third country.

By britexpat• 2 Feb 2009 19:40
britexpat

It seems that we are at opposite ends here.

I would urge you to read the following report from Amnesty International regarding this "Torture by Proxy"..

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/051/2006

"Everyone is innocent until proven guilty"

By britexpat• 2 Feb 2009 19:24
britexpat

By carrying out rendition flights, surely you are interfering.

If the US captures a "suspected" terrorist, then the person should be tried in a US court with proper representation. If found guilty, then by all means send him / her back to their country to serve out the sentence..

By britexpat• 2 Feb 2009 19:15
britexpat

We sometimes forget how fortunate we are to live in democracies where rights of the citizen are protected i the main. We become blase about the reality of such happenings.

If a suspected trrorist is captured by the CIA and sent to Egypt or Iraq or Afghanistan. hen what rights do you think this individual would have ?

By britexpat• 2 Feb 2009 19:07
britexpat

It is not anti USA. It is about civil rights of an individual.

These are "suspected" terrorists. Innocent until proven guilty remember. or does that only apply to US citizens?

I agree that terrorism has to be tackled, but the right of the individual are also paramount.

By Dracula• 2 Feb 2009 19:05
Rating: 2/5
Dracula

By bleu• 2 Feb 2009 19:04
bleu

LOL, it depends on the country :) Others would check his file, and if he's against the powers there they would say that he has connections with 7 terrorist organizations.

By DaRuDe• 2 Feb 2009 18:59
DaRuDe

good that you know that.

By bleu• 2 Feb 2009 18:58
bleu

DaRuDe, nobody has a problem with that, you hate everybody.

By DaRuDe• 2 Feb 2009 18:53
DaRuDe

i hate you do you have any problem with that :/

:D

By bleu• 2 Feb 2009 18:52
bleu

Scarlett, I don't hate you. I'm just stating the facts.

By Scarlett• 2 Feb 2009 18:27
Scarlett

We send the jailed people somewhere instead of Guatanemo and STILL folks complain..

We keep them in our jails, people complain, we move them elsewhere..people complain...

bleu...why do you want to do business with the US in the oil industry if you dislike us so much???

Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked,the good fortune to run into the ones I do,and the eyesight to tell the difference.

By bleu• 2 Feb 2009 18:13
Rating: 2/5
bleu

US to Arab Country: Here's a Suspected Terrorist.

Prosecutor : This man was found to be guilty by the US, they have the best intelligence.

Judge: Guilty.

Prison: Torture him, he's against national security, this dirty terrorist.

By tubelight• 2 Feb 2009 17:20
tubelight

hundreds of terrorism 'suspects' have been transferred by the US to prisons in countries with questionable human rights records..

where they will be detained and tortured until proven innocent?

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