First US rendition flight victim landed on Spanish soil: Report

The very first US operation transporting detainees to the controversial Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba was conducted via Spain, the daily El Pais reported Sunday.

First US rendition flight victim landed on Spanish soil: Report
According to the report, a US plane bringing prisoners from Afghanistan landed on January 11, 2002, in the US-Spanish air force facility at Moron de la Frontera outside Seville.

The 23 detainees on board the plane were transferred to another aircraft which brought them on to Guantanamo.

Among the group were Afghan nationals, Pakistanis, Yemenis, Saudis as well as a British and an Australian citizen.

The government in Madrid has consistently denied any Spanish facilitation of US prisoner flights, which contravene international law as well as the Spanish-US agreement regulating the use of the Moron de la Frontera base.

El Pais based its report on information from Portuguese aviation authorities as well as from a British legal office which has represented up to 50 Guantanamo detainees.

According to the British lawyers, the government of former conservative premier Jose Maria Aznar systematically supported US rendition flights.


Agencies

Güncelleme Tarihi: 25 Kasım 2007, 18:38
YORUM EKLE