| The Secretary General of the Council of Europe has confirmed Amnesty International’s concerns that many states across Europe may be facilitating secret detention, unlawful renditions and other human rights violations through their own legal shortcomings and practices. The Secretary General’s report, released yesterday, found that many of the 46 Member States of the Council of Europe do not have adequate measures in place to prevent, monitor and investigate the use of their territory for secret detention and ‘renditions’. Several Member States did not provide complete and satisfactory answers to the questions put to them in the course of the Secretary General’s inquiry. In particular, Amnesty International urges Italy, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to provide full information to the Secretary General about specific allegations that took place on their territories. In addition, Amnesty International says all Council of Europe Member States should act individually and collectively to: |
European Union Member States should also ensure that officials provide all relevant information and appear, if invited, before the European Parliament’s Temporary Committee on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the transportation and illegal detention of prisoners. For further comment/background and interviews: |
