Senator Kerry to Aid European Left in CIA Investigation

by Jim Kouri, CPP A left-wing Swiss Senator, working with a European human rights group, is keeping alive allegations that the CIA operated a number of secret prisons in Europe, abducted suspects, and transported them between countries. Although the original allegations, which appeared in a November 2 Washington Post news story, came about as a result of leaks in the United States, European liberals have taken the lead in leveling accusations and digging for evidence that will surely hurt the US image overseas. Swiss Senator Richard Marty, who is looking into the scandal for the 46-nation Council of Europe human rights watchdog, blasted the US government for failing to cooperate in the investigation. Marty is a member of Switzerland's Radical-Liberal Party. According to German newsmagazine Der Spiegel, US Senator John Kerry may be a useful ally for Dick Marty. He already submitted a discreet request to the office of Democratic Senator John Kerry asking for information on the outcome of the any senate report on CIA torture. Meanwhile, however, Marty can at least look forward to receiving informal help. In light of the heated debate over torture in Washington, the prospects of keeping the highly confidential report under wraps are slim. Marty claims his main focus is looking into what actions European countries took and that it's hard for him to believe that certain governments and intelligence agencies in Europe had not cooperated with the CIA. He says any cooperation in the secret prisons network by European agencies would be a "breach of their human rights obligations." Human rights investigators want Washington and European governments to explain dozens of landings and departures by CIA planes, some suspected of transporting terrorism suspects to jails in third countries where they may have been mistreated or tortured. However, so far there has been no corroboration regarding torture or abuse allegations. "Legal proceedings in progress in certain countries seemed to indicate that individuals had been abducted and transferred to other countries without respect for any legal standards," Marty said in a written statement after briefing the Council of Europe's legal affairs and human rights committee in Paris. "The ... information gathered to date [has] reinforced the credibility of the allegations concerning the transfer and temporary detention of individuals, without any judicial involvement, in European countries." Marty said in the statement that his findings justified continuing an in-depth inquiry, but he declined to give any details at a news conference. The Senator also alleges that not all European countries are cooperating fully with investigators. He even criticized his own Swiss government, which traditionally remained neutral in all international conflicts and wars. The European Union also said they were expecting information from the United States over the use of bases on the continent for secret prisoner transfers, known as "renditions." Meanwhile, the Council of Europe has mandated a three-month deadline on several countries to disclose what they knew about the mystery flights and what part they took in these transfers of suspected terrorists.  They also want information about Dana Priest's Washington Post report which claimed the Central Intelligence Agency ran secret prisons in Eastern Europe.    "I find it hard to believe these actions could have taken place without a degree of collaboration or passivity by governments or services operating under them. I am thinking of the secret services," Marty told Reuters. The left-wing politician appears willing in many instances to state as fact what is at best unsubstantiated allegations or suspicions. It was possible, he added, that the intelligence agencies had not informed their governments of any cooperation with the CIA. Marty complains that the US had never denied the allegations and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had failed to reject them during a recent trip to Europe, although Rice maintains there is no evidence of torture at these so-called secret facilities. But whenever Senator Marty is backed into a corner as far as where he's getting his information, he states that Human Rights Watch is helping with the investigation. A left-wing politician working with a left-wing group -- quick to accuse America and other Democracies of human rights violations while practically ignoring atrocities in Dafur, Rwanda, North Korea and China -- is a dangerous combination. Add the left-wing news media and one can safely bet this investigation will not go away. Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. He writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a staff writer for New Media Alliance (thenma.org), and he's a columnist for TheConservativeVoice.Com, AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and can be ordered at local bookstores. If you wish to sign up for his intelligence reports, write to JimKouriReports@aol.com. Kouri's own website is located at http://jimkouri.us