CIA Prisons Behind the Veil of Secrecy

“The case, "Polish CIA prisons", will remain secret, and the investigation is proceeding correctly - that in short is the answer of the Polish General Prosecutor's Office to a letter of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights. The Foundation monitors the issue of detention of CIA prisoners in Poland in 2002-03.

In December 2010, the Foundation expressed its opinion that the investigation, opened two years earlier, is lengthy and not effective. The Foundation also relied on the opinion of Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights Council of Europe, who believes that matters concerning human rights violations should not be protected by state secrecy laws and the public should know their details.

In response, George Szymanski, director of the department for organised crime, said that "The Hammarberg’s opinion cannot be shared”, but he did not specify why. He only stressed that the investigation materials are still classified "top secret" and that their disclosure would be a crime. Nothing indicates that the secrecy clause will be removed.

According to Szymanski “procedural steps have been and are conducted in a planned manner allowing to produce substantial evidences." What evidences? It is not known. Szymanski confirmed generally known facts: that the planes hired by the CIA were landing at the military airport in Szymany without customs and border clearance. He says that the General Prosecutor’s Office has a full list of these flights. There are no, however, the names of passengers.

In a letter of Szymanski there is no information when the investigation will be closed. The only crime that is taken into account is "the abuse of power" by Polish government officials, who allowed the Americans to carry out such uncontrolled activities.

Source: gazeta.pl

poland.pl 16 Feb 2011