Brussels, 05/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 4 January, the European Parliament held its first meeting of 2006 with the sub-committee on human rights chaired by French Green member Hélène Flautre. MEPs had chosen to invite Lotte Leicht, the European director of the international organisation for the protection of human rights, Human Rights Watch (HRW), to take stock of the situation following allegations on the illegal activities of CIA agents in the world and on European territory (EUROPE 9061). “It is shocking that Europe woke up to this matter too late”, Ms Leicht said, asserting that complete information on the existence of many “phantom prisoners” was available well before the matter became generally known on European territory. Our organisation was able to identify 26 persons held in secret detention centres since 2002, she said. “If the EU institutions, and the European Parliament in particular, do not take the matter in hand, they will lose all legitimacy or authority for denouncing violations of human rights in other parts of the world”, Ms Leicht went on to say. In her view, Human Rights Watch already has information whereby “CIA black sites” are to be found in Romania and Poland, as well as fresh evidence confirming the presence of a prison in a third country said to be a member of the Union. Lotte Leicht did not, however, wish to divulge the name of the country before this information is confirmed. She also underlined evidence given by several prisoners who were said to have been kidnapped and tortured, without the possibility of a fair trial. Ms Leicht called on the European Parliament so that, in the context of the temporary fact-finding commission to be launched by end January (EUROPE 9093), it will ensure that the matter will be followed up in such a way as to glean information from States and their intelligence services. Karim Sajjad (ALDE, Britain) said “the Parliament has a vital role to play (…). We must give our support to ensure this inquiry is hastened”. Although forced extradition cases seem to be proven, British Conservative Charles Tannock stressed the fact that “the Parliament will not be able to obtain information from national intelligence services given that even national members of parliament do not have such prerogatives”. British Labour member Richard Howitt said the Parliament must avoid duplication with the work currently being carried out by the Council of Europe (EUROPE 9089) and that both institutions should work together. On 23 February, the debate on CIA activities will be on the agenda of the meeting of the sub-committee on human rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe due to the presence of Dick Marty, the chairman of the legal and human rights committee of the Assembly, who is rapporteur on the matter of CIA prisons and aircraft and who will present his inquiry report.
The other major discussion of the new session for MEPs was on the European Commission document on the thematic programme for the promotion of democracy and human rights in the world on which there is clearly a conflict between Parliament and Commission, according to Hélène Flautre. The document, which will be the subject of a Commission communication on 25 January, proposes the adoption of new financial instruments in the context of new financial perspectives with a view to giving support to democracy and human rights outside the EU. What the Commission slams in particular is that “it proposes to us a horizontal financial programme instead of the different instruments that already exist”, Ms Flautre asserts, saying the “document does not support NGOs who work in high-risk countries”. The other major problem concerns the new legal base of financial instruments that would make the Parliament lose co-decision on regulations in this field, MEPs say.
Furthermore, Marios Matsakis (ALDE, Cyprus) pointed out that he had spent New Year's Eve in prison for having sought to enter the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognised only by Ankara. He was released after a substantial payment had been made but is concerned about possible consequences, as he may have to return to prison.