http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/98811
UN and EU anti terrorism listings criticised
According to conclusions reached by Dick Marty, Rapporteur to the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the blacklists on terrorism
suspects maintained by the United Nations and the European Union also
include citizens of unblemished reputation. For an individual merely caught
by the radar of the American secret service CIA based on "vague suspicious
factors", such a listing equates to a "civil death penalty", Marty stated
prior to the publications of his findings in Paris on Monday.
"It is scandalous and constitutionally not justifiable" that people are
neither informed about the entry on the listing nor the reasons leading to
it, Marty said in a declaration by the Council of Europe on Sunday. The 62
year old Swiss parliamentarian and former Ticinese public prosecutor became
known for his inquiries into secret CIA flights and secret detention camps
in Europe.
The investigation was triggered by the case of 76 year old Italian Youssef
Nada of Egyptian descent whose business has been ruined after his name had
been blacklisted. According to the suspicion of the American secret service
CIA, Nada is allegedly amongst the financiers of the 11 September 2001
attacks. However, four years of investigations conducted by the Swiss
judiciary and requested by Nada himself did not produce any suspicious
factors. "Nobody can claim that I have ever done any wrong in my life", Nada
told the German Press Agency (dpa).
"My bank accounts are frozen, I cannot work for five years now, nor can I
cross the border in order to seek medical treatment." He had been
blacklisted without being informed about it, without a hearing and without
the possibility to take legal action. He describes himself to be an Islamic
activist who is trying to convince people peacefully and without resorting
to any violent measures. "This is only one of many examples", said Marty.
The proceedings by the UN-Sanctions Committee and the EU-Council of
Ministers are a "constitutional scandal in disguise of the fight against
terror" in Marty's opinion. Grave injustice would be done to numerous
individuals without any evidence of criminal conduct. How many innocent
people are within the list containing several thousand individuals is
unknown, however, Marty suspects a series of individual cases. The
government representatives at the UN and the EU, who blacklist the suspects
upon request of the USA, do not normally know which suspicious factors are
held relating to those individuals. Furthermore, there has not been a means
to get off the list again so far.
Marty does not oppose the listings as such, containing the terrorist
organisation Al Quaeda and the Kurdistan Workers' Party PKK, but the
arbitrary way of listing "makes the international fight against terrorism
implausible". The EU, too, having committed itself to the Charter of human
rights, would do harm to its image with such "procedures being out of the
question".
Marty's investigations, which he started undertaking about a year ago, has
led to first results. According to the Council of Europe, individuals are
now informed in writing prior to being placed on the list and countries can
file an application in order to have an individual deleted from the list
again.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
--------------------------
Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL
PROTECTED]
--------------------------
Brooks Isoldi, editor
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.intellnet.org
Post message: [email protected]
Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
*** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has
not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of
The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT
YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the
included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of
intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods,
techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other
intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes
only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use
this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,'
you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
