Ahern bans baseball team's plane without shred of proof

Friday December 01, 2006 19:00

by anon

Is the EU set to legalise extra-judicial arrest.

As Ahern does his best false outrage, he also quielty suggest he will ban the Guantomano Express from Ireland. A plane he described yesterday as more likley coming here for a golfing holiday, yet now he agrees to ban it, what other planes will be on this list and how will he ban them from Irish airspace if civilian planes don't need to give notice. http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1129/cia.html

In his written submission the the cmttee he desrcibes how many thousands of planes go through Ireland and the Gardai have investigated 6 complaints (It was 4).
http://foreignaffairs.gov.ie/Press_Releases/20061130/22...2.htm

Ahern admits planes did use Shannon on the way and too and from extra-ordinary renditions ( kidnap and torture missions) with some of the pilots and agents onboard at least, many of whom are now wanted by the Italian judicary for jkidnapping a man they wanted to prosecute. , possibly 3 cases in particular Abu Omar case,

The plane landed at Shannon after taking Abu Omar from Germany to Egypt on February 17, 2003, where he is still being held incommunicado and tortured, according to the committee’s report.

and and also possible
Al-Zari and another Egyptian, Ahmed Agiza, to CIA operatives on December 18, 2001 for transfer from Stockholm to Cairo.
Sweden: Expulsions carried out by US agents, men tortured in Egypt
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/may/12sweden.htm

Many of these men may have history of supporting various causes are knowing other people but nothing justifies Irelands role in extra-judicial kidnapping and torture in other countries.http://politicscentral.com/2006/10/04/almasri_the_innoc...t.php

Many of these incidents only discovered through activist with binoculars and a handful investigative journalists.
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/67865

Dermot Ahern gives his performance to the Cmttee
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1130/rendition.html
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_pag...n.htm

Ban on CIA’s ‘Guantanamo Express’ from Irish airports
http://www.irishexaminer.com/irishexaminer/pages/story....1.asp
Ahern threated to search planes before when an US soldier was found cuffed on a troop transport, but he never did naything about it then either.

As Stephen Grey wrote in the last week this is just the tip of the iceberg and the up 5,000 missing people. So while many of the 147 suspicious flights could be crossed off the list there may be hundreds more over the years that could fill in the missing pieces of the network across Europe. A lengthy process Irish governement refuses to engage in.
http://www.newstatesman.com/200611200014

14 European countries admit allowing the CIA to run secret prisons or carry out renditions on their territory
7,000+ prisoners have been captured in America's war on terror
450 prisoners are thought to be held at Guantanamo
10 prisoners at Guantanamo have been convicted

The EU may have already legalised the process in the name of anti-terror agreements insisting the be handed over for trial while knowing they won't be. Many of these secretive agreements were made while Ireland was the President of the EU or earlier while Ireland was on the UNSC

Minutes of confidential talks held in Athens on January 22, 2003, prove that EU officials agreed to allow access to their airports for the United States, and also indicate that the EU was well aware that such an agreement made them complicit in possible war crimes. The document was given the title, “New Transatlantic Agenda, EU-US meeting on Justice and Home Affairs.”http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/dec2005/rend-d17.shtml
This EU commission could be just perfunctionary.

There has been very little written of this in the US, most of has been focused on the dreadful miliatry commissions where detainees after years in jail are not given prior knowledge of the charges or evidence against them. NPR got access to tapes which you can listen to extracts from here
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=65...14923
The recordings reviewed by NPR concern the military tribunals for six Algerians who were arrested and later acquitted in Bosnia for a suspected bombing plot. They were then taken into U.S. custody and sent to Guantanamo Bay

Now that the goverment says only legitmate flights will be allowed there no reason to search any planes. Problem solved.

save preference

Comments (3 of 3)

The devil's in the detail

by Seán Ryan

Sun Dec 03, 2006 16:12

These '6' investigations, supposedly carried out by the Gardai - surely accepting an assurance from a foreign national, would not be considered competent investigative work? (Rhetorical question.)

If the Gardai were to use this methodology in the investigation of a murder, for example - we'd be living in a justice-free and crime-ridden country. Ah... Am... Well...

I remember a certain Mr. Houlihan when being cross-examined in the last Ploughshare's trial - who is a member of the Gardai, and who is assigned to Shannon - admitting under oath that he had the powers to investigate violations of the Geneva Conventions in Ireland, and that it was his duty to do so. How many such allegations has he investigated competently?

How many complaints lodged by people like: Conor Cregan, Tim Hourigan and Ed Horgan, has he taken seriously? (One should also take into account here, the number of prosecutions taken against activists, in relation to Shannon Warport - they are many, they are legion.)

Cover-up is the only work done by the Gardai in Shannon, just like Cover-up is the only work done by our Government in relation to their facilitation and participation in WAR CRIMES.

I cannot wait until some Citizens in particular, charged with ensuring the rule of national and international law, face their crimes in a suitable arena. The only question in my mind is whether this arena should be an Irish Court or the Hague.

Well Micheal Y

by A10

Sun Dec 03, 2006 20:38

You can call it omnipotence or whatever or rant on about Vietnam and whatnot.Unfortuneatly it it is a reality in political life.And wether the Gardai agree or not,they will do what they are ORDERD to do.If that means ignoring aircraft in Shannon,or taking them apart, or beating the crap out of Irish citizens in Rossport or anywhere else for that matter.Or making MichealYs life Hell on Earth 24/7 untill he/she tops herself.They will do so. Dont think things like this happens,not being watching the news lately about the chap who spoke out about Putins Russia?Ask David Shalor,who worked for M15 how miserable life can become for anyone who steps out of line too much.
Everyone has a price Micheal ,including you.Garda oaf isnt going to make noise if he wants to keep his job and reputation functioning.if he does make noise,a carrott in npromotion or xtra pay will soon sort out any lofty ideals.

YOU and I and all the rest of us DO NOT MATTER ONE BIT to the Irish State.We are sheep to be shorn and slaughterd.Do you honestly think your miserable life is worth one red cent to the people who have millions invested in this country or to the Irish govt who has the most powerful nation in the world investing in this little rock??Who are we ???The people who are supposed to have all this power over all these people we elect into govt???ROTFLAMO if you still belive that nonsense. If you think demoracy and all the rest is supposed to work,you have alot of growing up to do.

"tales of torture from a far left fantasy land".

by iosaf

Mon Dec 04, 2006 12:35

That's how the ex-US Ambassador to Ireland's article refuting th onslaught throughout Europe by concerned citizens in the pages of the Irish Times on the 12th of December 2005. His article was published right next to one by Tim under a feature on "Shannon's war business". I remember the day clearly, I met a friend & their mother off the plane from Dublin to Barcelona - they gave me the Times & a bottle of whiskey. (real whiskey with an "e" in the end).

The "far left fantasy land" seem to have been right all along. ¿no?

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Ahern bans baseball team's plane without shred of proof

Comments (3 of 3)