CIA prison in Poland

In the light of President Obama's visit to Europe this week, I would like to take the opportunity to suggest some reading. It is an extraordinary document, a report compiled by Swiss politician Dick Marty for the Council of Europe: "Alleged secret detentions and unlawful inter-state transfers involving Council of Europe member states".

http://assembly.coe.int/CommitteeDocs/2006/20060606_Ejdoc162006PartII-FI...

The full text, which has been available online for years, details CIA rendition flights within Europe. According to this report, several European countries facilitated the transfer of detainees to torture camps.

The report also lists a military facility in Stare Kiejkuty, Poland, and nearby Szymany airport as detainee drop off points (see page 17 f.). In the light of a current Polish criminal investigation into alleged CIA rendition flights to and from Szymany, a recent complaint against Poland at the European Court of Human Rights, and President Obama's visit to this country I urge everybody to have a look at this document. It clearly lists information on flights and dates of arrivals.

Many news outlets around the world reported about these rendition flights. On Stare Kiejkuty, these articles might be of interest:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6212843.stm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/jan/04/politics.usa

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,621450,00.html

It seems that it was very easy for journalists and Dick Marty to get hold of evidence; one is left wondering why the investigation in Poland is proceeding at a snail's pace.

The Polish press has been keeping the topic in the public's perception over the past years.

Please also take a moment to look up the coordinates 53.631111, 21.078889 on a satellite map of your choice. Various accounts speak about an isolated building in the woods near a military facility which is surrounded by a wall. Can you spot it?

Jerzy Mierzewski, the prosecutor who had been in charge of the investigation into alleged CIA prisons on Polish territory, has been replaced by Waldemar Tyl, Gazeta Wyborcza reports. This decision came shortly after the Open Society Justice Initiative New York and lawyers acting for one of the alleged prisoners, Abd al-Nashiri, filed a complaint against Poland at the European Court of Human Rights.

This case has recently been in the focus of media attention when a source told public broadcaster TVP that evidence for rendition flights had been uncovered. It is also expected to be discussed at a visit of US president Barack Obama to Poland next week.

Read more on Gazeta Wyborcza.

AP article on the ECHR complaint.

See also, on the possible evidence.

For other WL Central coverage on the topic please see here.

Polish public broadcaster TVP reports that an investigation into alleged secret CIA prisons on Polish territory may have yielded first results. According to a source, Polish investigators have evidence on the exact date prisoner Abu Zubaida was transferred to and from Szymany airport. He is said to have arrived in December 2002 and departed in September 2003.

Files recently released by Wikileaks may help to shed light on the fate of various other prisoners, in particular Abd al Nashiri. Warsaw prosecutor Robert Majewski confirmed that all relevant files will be translated and taken into account.

Read more on TVP.

For other WL Central coverage on the topic please see here.