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7 November 2013

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CIA rendition flights given free passage through Shannon Airport by Fine Gael/Labour

‘This means that the Government allows the US military to take whatever or whoever they want through Ireland, regardless of the human rights, security and other consequences’ – Shannonwatch

THE CIA, the Pentagon and US special forces are free to smuggle whatever or whoever they like through Shannon Airport without fear of being searched by gardaí, according to Justice Minister Alan Shatter.

This includes aircraft used by the CIA to transfer prisoners between international torture centres run by US allies.

The Justice Minister has claimed in the Dáil that An Garda Síochána has no role in relation to the inspection of foreign state or military aircraft at Shannon or other airports because they enjoy sovereign immunity.

CIAEurope

Campaign group Shannonwatch said in response:

“In effect, this means that the Government allows the US military to take whatever or whoever they want through Ireland, regardless of the human rights, security and other consequences.”

Seventeen suspected CIA rendition flights have been reported to the authorities but the state has admitted that only seven have been ‘investigated’. It is not clear what the outcomes were.

Shannonwatch has called on the Department of Justice to make the outcomes of the investigations of all the complaints known or if no investigations took place to explain why.

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