NEWS FLASH Handover of Shannon Airport to the U.S. Military Must be Explained

Dr. Edward Horton (see Firedoglake UPDATE below)

Press Release: 18 March 2010

"...a breach of international laws on neutrality and a gross affront to Ireland 's proud tradition in this regard. ...a new low in Ireland 's sell-out to the U.S. war industry....over 5,000 U.S. troops a week pass through Shannon on their way to or from Iraq and Afghanistan . Figures released by Shannonwatch in February indicate that more than 25 U.S. military flights a week use the airport. This has turned it into a de-facto U.S. military base, without the permission of the Irish people.

The U.S. use of Shannon Airport by CIA rendition crews has also been well documented over the last decade. These are in breach of international and national laws, including the Criminal Justice Act (UN Convention Against Torture) Act 2000. These were not mentioned during the Obama – Cowan meeting as far as we are aware, but Shannonwatch are concerned that these too may be allowed to continue." Excerpt from Press Release below

(Or be moved some other secret place - Connie, blogger here)

Shannonwatch

While most of the world was turning green for St Patrick's Day, Ireland was committing itself to an ongoing role in the unjustified war being waged in Afghanistan . President Barrack Obama thanked the Irish Government for allowing US troops to stop off at Shannon Airport on their way to and from Iraq and Afghanistan . Secretary of State Hillary Clinton even landed at the airport herself to further embed our support for the US war machine into the nation's psyche. Together these amount to a breach of international laws on neutrality and a gross affront to Ireland 's proud tradition in this regard. They also signify a new low in Ireland 's sell-out to the U.S. war industry.

According to official figures, over 5,000 U.S. troops a week pass through Shannon on their way to or from Iraq and Afghanistan . Figures released by Shannonwatch in February indicate that more than 25 U.S. military flights a week use the airport. This has turned it into a de-facto U.S. military base, without the permission of the Irish people.

The U.S. use of Shannon Airport by CIA rendition crews has also been well documented over the last decade. These are in breach of international and national laws, including the Criminal Justice Act (UN Convention Against Torture) Act 2000. These were not mentioned during the Obama – Cowan meeting as far as we are aware, but Shannonwatch are concerned that these too may be allowed to continue.

A spokesperson for Shannonwatch said “It has been clear for many years that Shannon Airport is an important part of U.S. efforts to use its military might abroad. This is not something that most Irish people are aware of, but things now seem to be moving on to a new level of military cooperation. The present Irish government has completely abandoned Ireland ’s traditional position of neutrality by openly and enthusiastically supporting the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan .”

“As well as being contrary to Ireland 's proud tradition of neutrality and peacekeeping, the use of Shannon Airport by the U.S. military has resulted in weak security, ongoing human rights abuse and corrupt government in Afghanistan . It has also resulted in countless deaths in Iraq .”

Shannonwatch calls on the Irish government to explain the basis upon which Shannon Airport was made available to a foreign government for their military use. They also call on the government to reverse its decision to allow the airport to be used in two wars of occupation (in Iraq and Afghanistan ). These wars are not serving the interests of the people living in these countries, and the vital logistical support provided at Shannon is morally as well as financially indefensible.

For further information contact Shannonwatch on 087 8225087 or email shannonwatch@gmail.com. See also shannonwatch dot org

UPDATED (with many comments) ARTICLE on FIREDOGLAKE dot come here



For more info on Rendition/Extraordinary Renditions and upcoming Forum "Weaving a Net of Accountability" at Duke University North Carolina April 8-10, please go to ncstoptorturenow dot org LINK HERE SEE short and striking VIDEO on this coming forum by going to the forum website: "Weaving a Net of Accountability: Taking on extraordinary rendition at the state and regional level" Thur Apr 8, 5:30PM-9:00PM Fri Apr 9, 9:00AM-5:00PM HERE See Home - or find the six-minute “Weaving a Net of Accountability” video HERE

(See link to video with Scott Horton and more related items related to Rendition and Suspicians of Ongoing Torture Under Obama administration below the article)

The only significant edit by the News & Observer article below was the removal of this sentence about Binyam Mohamed’s treatment in Morocco :

“His genitals were slashed and doused in a hot, stinging liquid.”

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Following article published Mon, Mar 15, 2010 02:00 AM -
Modified Mon, Mar 15, 2010 06:01 AM

Extraordinary rendition and a missing speaker
(the News & Observer - North Carolina - USA)

This is a time of year when many Americans celebrate their Irish roots.

But the U.S. government doesn't want North Carolinians getting too close to at least one Irishman.

In the past, this would have been someone like Gerry Adams, the politician with ties to the Irish Republican Army. But Edward Horgan is no rebel; he was an officer in the Irish Defence Forces for 22 years. He served as a United Nations peacekeeper in Cyprus and the Sinai. Currently, he monitors elections in places like Ghana, Armenia , Zimbabwe , East Timor and Ukraine .

Last year, Horgan visited the United States to see family and attend the presidential inauguration. But this year, while observing elections in frigid Kiev, he learned that his 10-year, multiple-entry U.S. visa had been revoked.

The reason? No official will say, though Horgan is scheduled to attend an April conference at Duke University to speak about his opposition to extraordinary rendition.

Horgan co-founded Shannon Watch, a grass-roots group that protests the use of Ireland 's main international airport as a stop for U.S. planes transporting terror suspects to secret sites. Human rights groups report that dozens of detainees have been tortured. Others have "disappeared," vanished without a trace.

In 2002, Binyam Mohamed was a legal resident of the U.K. when he was detained and tortured by U.S., British and Pakistani authorities in Pakistan. He was then "rendered" to Morocco, where he endured 18 months of truly medieval abuse - at the hands of the Moroccans, but at the behest of the Central Intelligence Agency. He was allegedly beaten severely and threatened with electrocution, rape and execution.

In 2004, Mohamed was rendered again, this time to Afghanistan. In the infamous "Dark Prison," he was held in almost complete darkness for 23 hours a day, and kept awake for days at a time with loud music and spooky recordings. He was then flown to Guantanamo. After four years, he was released without any charge - or a single day in court.

North Carolinians need to know that the pilots and crews that twice transported Mohamed are based in North Carolina. Many credible reports indicate that Smithfield-based Aero Contractors - working for the CIA - picks up detainees and flies them to sites where torture is commonplace. After making the Atlantic crossing, planes often refuel at Shannon, where Irish citizens like Horgan voice their non-violent protest of a serious human rights abuse.

Horgan has exercised his right to protest at Shannon for nearly a decade. What changed since he visited the U.S. as a tourist last year? Visa holders have undergone intense scrutiny since the attempted Christmas bombing. But this is quite another case. Does Washington want to shield us from prominent critics of extraordinary rendition?

That would be a daunting task, since the number of critics is growing. A 2007 Council of Europe report said the CIA operated secret prisons in Europe where terrorism suspects were interrogated and tortured. That same year, a German judge issued warrants for CIA agents and contractors, including three North Carolina-based pilots. Last year, an Italian judge convicted a CIA chief and 22 other Americans, almost all CIA operatives, of kidnapping a Muslim cleric from Milan in 2003.

Two days after his inauguration, President Barack Obama took the overdue step of banning torture by U.S. officials, moving us away from the "dark side" advocated by our former vice president, Dick Cheney. Since then, however, Obama's record has been mixed.

Extraordinary rendition continues, with North Carolina as a likely hub. The Department of Justice continues to block torture survivors' civil lawsuits, arguing that a hearing would jeopardize state secrets - despite the fact that these are well-known international scandals.

At a minimum, we need to stop kidnapping people, holding them in secret prisons and torturing them. We won't move past this shameful legacy by muzzling critics or denying torture survivors a day in court. As Horgan says, he and many people around the world still look up to the United States as a symbol of freedom and the rule of law.

What many do not know about St. Patrick is that he was born in Britain and originally came to Ireland a slave. He escaped, but later had a vision that the Irish needed him, so returned. He fought to free other slaves before dying a revered old man near modern-day Belfast.

We have nothing to fear from critics like Horgan. To the contrary, such voices should be welcomed, since they may help us find our way back from the dark side.

Christina Cowger works with North Carolina Stop Torture Now. Robin Kirk directs the Duke Human Rights Center. Information about the April 8-10 conference is at accountabilityfortorturenc dot org

Orignal publication News & Observer dot com - GO HERE

RELATED ITEMS

The following includes Retd. Commandant Edward J. Horgan's Curriculum Vitae at statewatch dot org (all worth reading) still available as of March 15, 2010: 1 CURRICULUM VITAE Edward J. Horgan Commandant (retd.) File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat -Quick View Charnwood, Newtown, Castletroy, Co. Limerick. Telephone: 061-330567 Mobile Phone 085-1026631. Email: edward_horgan@hotmail.com, edward.horgan@ul.ie. HERE

By Edward J. Horgan (the following found on the above linked Curriculum Vitae)

My efforts to promote peace by peaceful means include:
• Organise peaceful demonstrations against the abuse of Irish neutrality arising from US military use at Shannon airport for unlawful wars in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2001 to date.
• Initiating a peace camp at Shannon airport in January 2001 to create public awareness of Ireland’s breach of the Hague Convention on Neutrality.
• Took High Court Constitutional case against Irish Government over the Shannon issue
in March 2003
• Returned all my military and UN decorations and Presidential Commissioning
Certificate in Sept 2003, in protest at the Irish Government’s participation in the Iraq.
• Unjustly and unlawfully arrested or detained during protests or while simply transiting through Shannon airport on four occasions, since 2002.

My efforts to promote peace and justice, by peaceful means and the rule of law will continue.

REPORT from Sunday's vigil (yesterday) on Irish Mother's Day HERE
On Sunday March 14th, a group of peaceful demonstrators gathered at Shannon to mark the seventh anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, and to relaunch the Black Shamrock simultaneously with DAWC/FEIC in Derry.


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VIDEO HERE SCOTT HORTON on Renditions under Obama (continuing Renditions policy Under Bush) From August 14, 2009 (which would lead many casual observers to ask: what else did Raymond Azar know?)

Renditions Buffoonery—By Scott Horton (Harper's Magazine) In a breathless piece of reporting in the Sunday Los Angeles Times, we are told that Barack Obama “left intact”...HERE

Renditions, Obama Style—By Scott Horton (Harper's Magazine) By Scott Horton. Raymond Azar is a 45-year-old Lebanese construction manager who traveled to Kabul in April to meet with one of his HERE

More from Scott Horton:

RECENT: Lawfare Redux HERE (SEE how internationally concerned Lawyers vouch for Pakistani lawyers' work toward the Rule of Law)

Obama and the Torture Hangover (What's happening since Obama to the Geneva Conventions and International Law HERE

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From Binyam Mohamed upon his release from Gitmo last year: "Worse than my darkest nightmare. As I gain my freedom, I am determined that neither those who remain in detention, nor their abusers, are forgotten."

Photos thanks to The Guardian and internet cache.

BINYAM MOHAMED (Various and Britain on Torture Updates) at The Guardian
Guardian dot co dot uk or CLICK

WHAT TORTURE IS AND WHY ITS ILLEGAL AND NOT "POOR JUDGMENT" HERE

ABU ZUBAYDAHS TORTURE DIARY HERE

FIRST EVER BAGRAM Prisoners List (Keep in mind this is not the only US directed prison in Afghanistan or elsewhere in the "war on terror")
HERE

NOTE that usually this kind of stark report with data will be now be posted here
nomorecrusades dot blogspot cot com - HERE - rather than at oneheartforpeace dot blogspot dot com