Press release - Brussels/Caracas, January 24, 2006 - Tobias Pflüger (MEP)

Concerning the interim report by Dick Marty on secret CIA prisons in the member states of the European Council, the European deputy of the Left fraction, Tobias Pflüger, member of the Foreign Relations Committee and coordinator of the Left fraction (GUE/NGL) in the subcommittee Security and Defence, declares:

Already the interim report by Dick Marty clearly points to the existence of secret prisons and investigation centres in Europe. In addition, it becomes clear that there existed a structure for torture flights in Europe and that the military bases of the USA and NATO enjoy special significance in this context. It is shocking especially how systematic the procedure was in this area. All points to the fact that the “outsourcing” of torture and the abuse of prisoners was practiced methodically and with the knowledge and complicity by EU governments. Now not only information should be the political goal, but the abolition of the military infrastructure, which only made this system possible in the first place. The closing of the military bases that are used for illegal investigation centres, prisons and torture flights finally has to get on the agenda in Europe.
Link to the interim report:

Contact: Bureau Bruxelles: Tel. 0032-2-284-5555

Brussels/Caracas, January 24, 2006

Translated by Carla Krüger, January 24, 2006