BBC: Rendition: Tales of torture

[gristy]

This story of U.S. rendition of foreign nationals has over 1700 hits in news.google this morning: http://news.google.com/?ncl=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4502986.stm&hl=en

This is a big story.

Rendition: Tales of torture

The US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, has defended the US against allegations that it ran a network of "ghost flights" and secret prisons around the world where terror suspects could be interrogated with little concern for international law.

The BBC News website profiles some of the detainees who say they were victims of the US' secret "extraordinary rendition" policy.

The case of Khaled al-Masri, 41, a German citizen allegedly handed over to the US by Macedonian agents in 2004, helped spark controversy over so-called "ghost flights" and secret "torture prisons".

Kuwaiti-born Mr Masri was seized close to the Macedonian border as he headed towards Albania following what he has described as a row with his wife in Germany. After being held for three weeks in the Macedonian capital, Skopje, Mr Masri says he was beaten, handcuffed, blindfolded, drugged, and flown to a CIA prison in Afghanistan.

more...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4502986.stm

[cyberpj]

1. When will ALL of US citizens see that BushCo simply LIES until caught?! nt

[pushycat]

2. This is what Condoleeza says does not happen. However,

she was sure pushing hard to redefine how we determine a national threat back in January:
http://irregulartimes.com/index.php/archives/2005/01/19/

<snip>
"the Geneva Conventions should not be extended to those who don’t live up to the obligations of the Geneva Convention.”<snip>

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

3. It's a very important story, but I wish the Beeb would stop calling it

"rendition" -- it's fucking kidnapping.

Also, Blair at PMQ's today said that it's been US policy for "many, many years" which I took to imply that it was such under Clinton. However, I've never heard anyone from the Clinton admin talk about doing it & I'm sure Republicans would defend it by saying that they weren't doing anything new.

[Briar]

4. Does it matter how many years it was done?

It's still kidnapping, Tony. Stop it now.