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| Europe | |
| U.S. Put Jails in Lithuania, Premier Says | |
| 2009-12-23 | |
The prime minister, Andrius Kubilius, said the United States had reached what he contended were clandestine and illegal arrangements with the Lithuanian secret services for prisons that were outside civilian control. Mr. Kubilius made his remarks on the day that the national security committee in the Lithuanian Parliament released a report that determined that the country was the site of two small secret prisons, though it did not indicate how they were used. The report was based on testimony from politicians and national security officials. It was initiated after ABC News described Lithuania’s role in hosting so-called black sites, and other questions were raised about its activities in the fight against terrorism. Arvydas Anusauskas, chairman of the national security committee, said state security officials “received requests from the C.I.A. to establish detention facilities.” He said it was not clear who was housed in the facilities because five planes that apparently transported people to Lithuania were never inspected by civilian officials. The report contended that state security officials never informed senior government officials, like the prime minister, about the prisons, which supposedly could hold a handful of people. The scandal over the secret prisons has shaken Lithuania’s political system and could lead to an overhaul of the security services. The intelligence chief has already resigned. Mr. Kubilius did note that “Lithuania is a strategic United States ally, and cooperation in many fields, including secret operations and counterterrorism, is very important.” But he said it was “deeply worrying” that security officials established the prisons without oversight from senior civilian officials. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #2 Ah, more of that hopey, changey thing. |
| Posted by: Bigfingo 2009-12-23 05:59 |
| #1 These so-called Terrorists should have been first given trial in a New York criminal court (or a civil court if they had not been read their rights), and if found guilty they should be fined or imprisoned accordingly (provided you can still find them). The CIA officials responsible for this should be imprisoned. |
| Posted by: Ralphs son Johnnie 2009-12-23 02:24 |