Gardaí ‘turning a blind eye’ to US military and CIA use of Shannon Airport

» Mark Moloney

A Wikileaks cable published in 2010 revealed how Fianna Fáil former Justice Minister Dermot Ahern believed at least three rendition flights had passed through the Clare airport despite publicly accepting US assurances that no such flights had taken place

‘SHANNONWATCH’ has accused the Garda of turning a blind eye to CIA-linked rendition flights and US military aircraft passing through Shannon Airport and Irish airspace.

Shannonwatch, which monitors foreign military use of Shannon Airport, submitted thousands of pages of documentation to shannon Garda station on 16 March 2011. The information included the details and flight logs of 20 aircraft known or suspected to have been used in illegal rendtion flights.

A Wikileaks cable published in 2010 also revealed how former Justice Minister Dermot Ahern believed at least three rendition flights had passed through the Clare airport despite publicly accepting US assurances that no such flights had taken place.

Seventeen months after the documents were supplied, the Garda have responded:

“No evidence has been uncovered by the Gardaí which indicate any alleged breach of Irish and international laws resulting from the transit of armed US troops and CIA-associated aircraft in connection with wars and military aggression in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, and in connection with unlawful detention and torture of prisoners at Guantanamo prison and elsewhere.”

John Lannon, spokesperson for Shannonwatch, dismissed the Garda respone, saying it seemed to ignore a large body of evidence, much of which already exists in the public domain.

“We provided dates and times on which known and suspected rendition aircraft landed at Shannon Airport. Amnesty International have also brought flight logs to the attention of the Irish Government. These logs showing that planes used by the CIA for renditions landed at the airport. Council of Europe and European Parliament inquiries have also identified Shannon Airport as a stopover point in the US renditions programme.”

Ahead of the 2011 Dáil general election, the Labour Party had been vocal in its opposition to the US use of Shannon Airport and had repeatedly demanded that the Fianna Fáil/Green Party Government inspect suspect US aircraft using Shannon.

Speaking in the Dáil in 2007, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore (right) – who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs – referenced a Human Rights Commission report. The report stated that Shannon had been used to transfer people which Gilmore said were “being ferreted away for the purpose of torture”. Gilmore has since claimed there is no evidence that Shannon Airport has ever been used for the purposes of rendition!

Shannonwatch’s Lannon said it is “not surprising” that no evidence of rendition had been uncovered:

“The Gardaí have consistently failed to investigate complaints made when suspect aircraft were at the airport. On one occasion, on 18 June 2008. they even said that a ‘policy decision’ had been made that there were no grounds to search the aircraft in question.”

Lannon said that such a position could be seen as complicity in torture by the state, adding:

“It begs the question, have the Garda been instructed to ensure that CIA and US military aircraft have had carte blanche to use Shannon Airport in any way they choose, even if it violates international and Irish law?”