No evidence UK used for US rendition flights - police report
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
London, June 9, IRNA
UK Police-US-Rendition Flights
A police inquiry has said it was unable to find any proof that the UK allowed its airports for US extradition flights despite claims that more than 210 flights chartered by the CIA have landed in the country since 2001.
"There was no evidence that UK airports were used to transport people by the CIA for torture in other countries," the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said after an 18-month investigation led by chief constable of Greater Manchester Police Michael Todd.
Reports said that "extraordinary rendition" flights landed in the UK to take terror suspects to secret camps in Europe were raised with the police by human rights groups Liberty.
But Acpo said Todd had examined all of the information available relating to this issue and has concluded that there "was nothing to substantiate the claims in the evidence supplied by Liberty." The police conclusions were released within hours of a report by the Council of Europe on Friday that confirmed the claims that the flights did pass through the UK and other European countries.
Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti questioned how closely Todd had looked into the allegation and suggested that there may have been police collusion with the British government.
The claims had been based upon "credible" information but "when politicians spin it is disappointing, when police engage in the same activity it is rather more dangerous," Chakrabarti said.
It was alleged in 2005 that many civilian and military airports across England and Scotland allowed CIA or CIA-chartered jets to land.
The only British government admission has come from the Foreign Office, which said the US had requested permission to transfer detainees through the UK on four occasions in 1998 and that two were granted and the individuals stood trial in the US.
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