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Wednesday, December 03, 2008

ITALY - CIA

CIA trial resumes in Milan

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

As the trial over the abduction of Egyptian imam Abu Omar by alleged CIA agents resumes in Milan, FRANCE 24 spoke with Joanne Mariner, counter-terrorism expert for the NGO Human Rights Watch, about why the men face trial in absentia.

By  Interviewed by Clea Caulcutt

The trial of alleged Central Intelligence Agency members over the abduction of the Egyptian imam Abu Omar (see photo above) re-opens today in Italy. What are the US defendants accused of?
 
The CIA agents are accused of kidnapping the Egyptian imam Abu Omar on February 17, 2003 in Milan. After his abduction, he was transferred to Egypt where he was severely tortured in several prisons. Very quickly, this case attracted international attention as authorities in Milan investigated further into CIA activities. Knowing it was under scrutiny, Egypt finally released Abu Omar earlier this year.
 
What evidence is there against the US agents?
 
There is abundant evidence to prosecute the CIA agents. First of all, Abu Omar testified against the CIA when he was released from jail. We also have access to quite a lot of documentary evidence. The CIA agents used cell phones to keep in touch with one another while they were operating in Italy. The authorities also have flight and hotel records before and after the abduction of Abu Omar. So there is mounting evidence not only against the CIA but also against Italian military intelligence officials who collaborated with them.
 
What is the likely outcome of the trial?
 
The CIA agents are being tried in absentia and therefore the verdict will also be delivered in absentia. The defendants are living in the US and will avoid travelling to Italy, so it’s unlikely any of the CIA officials will face jail time. In concrete terms, they run very little risk. The Italian authorities might confiscate a retirement villa belonging to one of the agents but that’s all. The importance of this trial is symbolic. We’ve known about the CIA rendition practices for years but so far there have been few cases and no successful ones brought against the CIA. In the US, civilian cases against the CIA failed and previous investigations in Germany quickly came to a dead end.
[2] reactions :

  • Wednesday, October 31, 2007

    Retaliation against U.S. kidnappings

    By  Kenneth T. Tellis

    WILL THE milan trial end up as a farce? The U.S. government has been in the kidnapping business before 1900, and it has continued unabated. Today, the U.S. uses new terminology to hide kidnappings. It calls them renditions. But its results are the same.

    The Italian government has got a hope in hell, to get the U.S. to cooperate, because its CIA is a criminal organization operating well outside the law. But worse still is that the U.S. government has openly said that it does not recognize the sovereignty or the territorial integrity of any nation. Which now gives it the right to kidnap at will, in any place on earth. The solution to this is to kidnap U.S. citizens and hold them in secret prisons. When the U.S. cannot find its own citizens it will cooperate with all nations. But, U.S. citizens must be tortured as a retaliation, otherwise the whole issue becomes a joke.

  • Wednesday, October 31, 2007

    CIA trial Milan

    By  B. Taggart

    Why does the British government not seek prosecutions here in the uk. The US government has been illegally using UK airports to transport prisoners for torture abroad. These are individuals for which no evidence exists to bring charges against them.

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