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Europe's CIA Inquiry: Poland, Romania hosted secret prisons
Today the Council of Europe makes it official: Poland and Romania hosted secret detention facilities on behalf of the CIA.
In a just-released inquiry approved by the Council, investigator Dick Marty of Switzerland confirms Dana Priest's Pulitzer Prize-winning report for the Washington Post that unnamed Eastern European countries allowed the CIA to hold suspected al-Qaeda detainees on their territory, without access to legal protections or the International Committee of the Red Cross. For the first time, the Council on Europe's report names some of the detainees in the secret facilities: they include 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and former al-Qaeda military committee chief Abu Zubaydah. Both, Marty writes, "were questioned using 'enhanced interrogation techniques,'" making his report the first documentation by any public official to state definitively that such techniques have in fact been employed. In 2005, ABC News reported that such techniques include waterboarding, in which a detainee is forced to believe he is drowning.
Previous inquests by the European Parliament, most recently in February, stopped short of reporting definitively that the prisons existed, thanks mainly to lack of cooperation by U.S. and European intelligence officials, allowing the U.S., Poland and other suspected countries to maintain deniability over the prisons. In April, CIA Director Michael Hayden chastised the Parliament for what he called its "unbounded criticism" of CIA detentions, renditions and interrogations, which he and the CIA have consistently defended as both legal and necessary to combat al-Qaeda.
You can read Marty's report here at the TPM Document Collection. We'll bring you updates on its most significant revelations.
Comments (46)
foobar wrote on June 8, 2007 10:50 AM:TECH SUPPORT
Hello TPM,
Your RSS feed is not updating. The most recent item is "DoJ Document Dump Muckraking Thread" from June 6, 2007, 7:07 PM
foobar wrote on June 8, 2007 10:52 AM:PS: Just to clarify. It's TPMmuckraker that's not updating.
Anonymous wrote on June 8, 2007 11:15 AM:Tremendous carrot to hold out for Romania, huh?
You host the secret CIA prisons and we'll get you into NATO?
Powkat wrote on June 8, 2007 11:58 AM:I want my country back, now!
LTO wrote on June 8, 2007 12:28 PM:For once, we contract with noted experts....
Blake Hegerle wrote on June 8, 2007 12:30 PM:It can't be said enough: waterboarding is drowning someone, just pulling them back up before they asphyxiate.
After all, what is drowning but death due to asphyxiation induced by being under water? How is that different from waterboarding, which asphyxiation induced by being under water and covered in plastic.
I'll keep bringing this up until everyone gets it.
Ian wrote on June 8, 2007 12:30 PM:Gross...Can we get rid of him now that there's photographic proof he's drinking?
Glenn wrote on June 8, 2007 12:31 PM:C'mon now, these guys were just invited to be guests at some of those beautiful Black Sea dachas.
Ross Porter wrote on June 8, 2007 12:36 PM:Despicable neo-cons have stabbed the Constitution in the back. As for "enhanced interrogation," Andrew Sullivan makes clear that the Nazis used the same double-talk. http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2007/05/verschfte_verne.html
Evan wrote on June 8, 2007 12:52 PM:If you think that's bad you should read the AI report. It seems we were in the business of 'detaining' kids as young as 9.
From the report:
After Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s arrest in March 2003, Yusuf and Abed Al Khalid were reportedly transferred out of Pakistan in U.S. custody. The children were allegedly being sent for questioning about their father’s activities and to be used by the United States as leverage to force their father to cooperate with the United States. A press report on March 10, 2003 confirmed that CIA interrogators had detained the children and that one official explained that:
"We are handling them with kid gloves. After all, they are only little children...but we need to know as much about their father's recent activities as possible. We have child psychologists on hand at all times and they are given the best of care."(14)
Bullocks wrote on June 8, 2007 1:03 PM:"If you think that's bad you should read the AI report. It seems we were in the business of 'detaining' kids as young as 9."
Let me see ... what should we call that one ... "terrorism prevention and detention program"?
So why stop nine year olds? Why not round up the four and five year olds and put them into prison camps? We'll make it efficient by collecting them and transporting them to the prisons via, oh, let's say ... train? Yes, much faster that way. And then for the ones who are physically able, we could perhaps put them into labor reformation training sessions. Picking rocks, working looms, building weapons, etc.
The ones who can't offer much labor-wise, we'll maybe do something else with them.
Hey, maybe the Administration is onto something here?
God Bless 'Merica.
Henry Ehrlich wrote on June 8, 2007 1:04 PM:Are they in the New Europe or the Old Europe?
johnnydoughey wrote on June 8, 2007 1:08 PM:I'll bet our folks who fought the criminals in wars and conflicts throughout this nation's history would be mighty pleased with us. They, indeed, were willing to (and actually did) die for the opportunity to rid the world of... well... what we have become.
johnnydoughey wrote on June 8, 2007 1:13 PM:We should be proud of ourselves.
Question for ian...
Glenn wrote on June 8, 2007 1:15 PM:Where's that photograph?
"They, indeed, were willing to (and actually did) die for the opportunity to rid the world of... well... what we have become."
Yeah, apparently they were just making some room. Lebensraum, even.
Clavis wrote on June 8, 2007 1:20 PM:I never thought the United States would become the bad guys.
I mean, in this story, the USA is the one defending torture, obstructing justice, avoiding scrutiny of its unlawful and unethical behavior and defending tactics suitable only for the old Soviet Union.
Security Code: polish, as in ... well, that one's pretty obvious.
Steve5117 wrote on June 8, 2007 1:26 PM:johnnydoughey
Date: June 8, 2007 01:13 PM
Click my name for an AP photo...
CybScryb wrote on June 8, 2007 1:40 PM:For johnnydoughey.
More photo's here.
http://www.first-draft.com/2007/06/man_i_could_rea.html
Code word: tight (old slang for being drunk)
RW wrote on June 8, 2007 1:42 PM:This the day after the Senate Justice Committee passed on the provision that all those held by US have a right to Habeus Corpus.
The NeoCon's (american fascists) never get it that civil or human rights are essential and that all that come about from fascist activities like this is eventual exposure and total discredit.
What was the world's view of the Soviet with their Lubyanka Prison and KGB headquarters. What are we afraid of putting terrorists through the Justice system for murder and conspiracy? We do it with drug lord kingpins? Mobsters?
Except that Cheney and Bush are in charge...
JP wrote on June 8, 2007 1:45 PM:Related to Blake Hegerle's prior comment, continually describing waterboarding as a "technique in which a detainee is forced to believe he is drowning" makes waterboarding sound like a harmless psychological game, and gives cover to the people who defend it as such. Wake up. It's torture. Period.
lambert strether wrote on June 8, 2007 2:04 PM:What I want to know is a simple arithmetical question.
Estimates of prisoners held in the Bush gulag range from 8,000 to over 30,000 (from Colin Powell's chief of staff, Col. Wilkerson).
So, Gitmo holds 500.
Where are the others? (a) still in prison, (b) released, or (c) disappeared?
If they're still in prison, that's at odds with Bush's carefully engineered statement Bush’s claim on 6 September 2006 that there are now no terrorists in the CIA program."
If they've been released, it's very curious that only one or two of the released detainees have ever talked to the press. Word would have gotten out somehow, even if only at second or third hand.
George Smiley wrote on June 8, 2007 2:31 PM:Leaving door C...
The phrase "enhanced interrogation techniques" should ALWAYS be phrased as: "enhanced interrogation techniques, pioneered by Nazi Germany."
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2007/05/verschfte_verne.html
Fishbones wrote on June 8, 2007 2:51 PM:Don't forget Poland -
Terminus Est wrote on June 8, 2007 3:04 PM:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_forgot_Poland
Poland and Romania need to be threatened with ejection from the EU AND NATO for this crap. They should know better given their Soviet past. Instead, they happily emulated their former Soviet masters in very solid 3rd world style, matching their 3rd world social development.
cevrero wrote on June 8, 2007 3:27 PM:"were questioned using 'enhanced interrogation techniques,'"
So are we still unofficial War Criminals,...or is it official now?
Shit,...this is just the tip of the iceberg,...if we knew the real truth,...there would be a revolution somewhere. Oh wait a minute, there are.
jacqueline grant wrote on June 8, 2007 3:41 PM:Those fuc#&*g twins . I knew they were up to no good.
jacqueline grant wrote on June 8, 2007 3:41 PM:Another country run by civil , human rights violators from Bush 's club.
Those fuc#&*g twins . I knew they were up to no good.
jacqueline grant wrote on June 8, 2007 3:41 PM:Another country run by civil , human rights violators from Bush 's club.
Those fuc#&*g twins . I knew they were up to no good.
jacqueline grant wrote on June 8, 2007 3:41 PM:Another country run by civil , human rights violators from Bush 's club.
Those fuc#&*g twins . I knew they were up to no good.
jacqueline grant wrote on June 8, 2007 3:41 PM:Another country run by civil , human rights violators from Bush 's club.
Those fuc#&*g twins . I knew they were up to no good.
big brother wrote on June 8, 2007 3:55 PM:Another country run by civil , human rights violators from Bush 's club.
Waterboarding:
big brother wrote on June 8, 2007 3:58 PM:Reduce body temperature to hupothermia creating flight or fight panic. That reduces the militancy to a pathetic zero. Then deprive them to almost zero oxygen and close to brain dead or on the edge of death. This brings them out of an induced coma that may require life support to deprive them of death by resuscitating the victim whom is completely hopeless. By proxy every American is guilty of this. I hope you are all proud of yourselves for your yellow chicken livered cowardice. Brave soldiers? This is a commecial military not patriotic Americans answering the call.
Waterboarding:
big brother wrote on June 8, 2007 3:59 PM:Reduce body temperature to hypothermia creating flight or fight panic. That reduces their resistance to a pathetic zero. Then deprive them to almost zero oxygen and close to brain dead or on the edge of death. This brings them out of an induced coma that may require life support to deprive them of death by resuscitating the victim whom is completely hopeless. By proxy every American is guilty of this. Seems the definition of cowardly behavior fits here.
Waterboarding:
big brother wrote on June 8, 2007 4:00 PM:Reduce body temperature to hypothermia creating flight or fight panic. That reduces their resistance to a pathetic zero. Then deprive them to almost zero oxygen and close to brain dead or on the edge of death. This brings them out of an induced coma that may require life support to deprive them of death by resuscitating the victim whom is completely hopeless. By proxy every American is guilty of this. Seems the definition of cowardly behavior fits here.
Waterboarding:
jacqueline grant wrote on June 8, 2007 4:01 PM:Reduce body temperature to hypothermia creating flight or fight panic. That reduces the militancy to a pathetic zero. Then deprive them to almost zero oxygen and close to brain dead or on the edge of death. This brings them out of an induced coma that may require life support to deprive them of death by resuscitating the victim whom is completely hopeless. By proxy every American is guilty of this. I hope you are all proud of yourselves for your yellow chicken livered cowardice. Brave soldiers? This is a commecial military not patriotic Americans answering the call.
Those fuc#&*g twins . I knew they were up to no good.
jacqueline grant wrote on June 8, 2007 4:02 PM:Another country run by civil , human rights violators from Bush 's club.
Those fuc#&*g twins . I knew they were up to no good.
Anonymous wrote on June 8, 2007 4:26 PM:Another country run by civil , human rights violators from Bush 's club.
Some irony here I guess:
Anonymous wrote on June 8, 2007 4:26 PM:Two countries who suffered under the Nazi Gestapo and later Soviet-style secret police and prisons should become our collaborators in these war crimes.
I wonder what we did as a quid pro quo
Some irony here I guess:
Anonymous wrote on June 8, 2007 4:27 PM:Two countries who suffered under the Nazi Gestapo and later Soviet-style secret police and prisons should become our collaborators in these war crimes.
I wonder what we did as a quid pro quo
Some irony here I guess:
Anonymous wrote on June 8, 2007 4:27 PM:Two countries who suffered under the Nazi Gestapo and later Soviet-style secret police and prisons should become our collaborators in these war crimes.
I wonder what we did as a quid pro quo
Some irony here I guess:
The lone voice of sanity wrote on June 8, 2007 11:48 PM:Two countries who suffered under the Nazi Gestapo and later Soviet-style secret police and prisons should become our collaborators in these war crimes.
I wonder what we did as a quid pro quo
"We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm." - Winston Churchill
That may not be from Churchill. It might have been George Orwell or Rudyard Kipling, but whoever said it was speaking the truth. Sometimes difficult problems require difficult methods to solve them. If I agree with any of you on any one thing, it is that the "War On Terror" has not been fought correctly. Here's where we will differ. We need to enact so much destruction on these Islamic militants that they won't even think of raising their hand to the US again. Fallujah should have been leveled along with a few other places that were problematic. If the President would stop trying to get everyone to like him by fighting this war with kid gloves on, we could get down to the business of putting bullets between the eyes of these Islamic militants and bring our troops home. If you ask me, we need 100 more Guantanamo prisons but without all the comforts. Feed them bacon and ham until they spill the beans and then either execute them or release them if they are not guilty.
Signed - A compassionate conservative.
kipling wrote on June 9, 2007 11:21 AM:If the lone voice of sanity is too lazy to check a quote, why should anyone lend credence to anything else (s)he says? It wasn't me, or Winnie, it was George.
We need to enact so much destruction on these Islamic militants Who are "we"? Not Christians, clearly.
hat they won't even think of raising their hand to the US again.> Think you can fix things "once and for all"? Read some history.
Fallujah was leveled. That worked well, didn't it?
And why are the militants "raising their hand against the US"? You feel angry and revengeful. So do they. Why? Read some history (in particular, that of your own country), but you'll have to read widely. As my namesake might have written, "What do they know of USA, who only USA know?"
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