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ROME, Italy (CNN/AP) Dec. 22 — A judge has issued European arrest warrants for 22 purported CIA operatives in connection with the alleged kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric from a Milan street in 2003, a prosecutor said Friday.
Prosecutor Armando Spataro said the warrants allowed for the arrest of the suspects in any of the 25 EU member countries. Previously, Italy had issued arrest warrants for the 22 inside Italy.
Spataro has already sought the extradition of the 22 from the U.S. However, the request has remained with Justice Minister Roberto Castelli, who has sought more court documentation on the case before making any decision on whether to forward it to Washington, Spataro said.
Berlusconi Interferes with the Italian Courts
Earlier this week, Premier Silvio Berlusconi, a top U.S. ally, suggested the government may not push the prosecutors’ request with Washington saying, “I don’t think there is any basis in the case.”
Castelli, for his part, has also questioned Spataro’s motives in the case, suggesting the prosecutor was a leftist militant and anti-American.
Milan’s chief prosecutor responded by saying he fully supported Spataro, the investigation and its findings.
More below the fold »»
The 22 people allegedly were involved in the kidnapping of cleric Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, also known as Abu Omar. The cleric, believed to belong to an Islamic terror group, was allegedly abducted on a Milan street on February 17, 2003, before being flown to Egypt, where he was reportedly tortured.
The operation was believed part of the CIA’s “extraordinary rendition” program in which terrorism suspects are transferred to third countries where some allegedly are subjected to torture. Prosecutors say the cleric’s abduction was a serious violation of Italian sovereignty, and that it had hindered Italian terrorism investigations.
Tue Dec 6th, 2005 at 01:47:32 AM PST
Sun Jun 26th, 2005 at 04:51:38 PM PST
Fri Jun 24th, 2005 at 06:05:38 AM PST
“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
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Onward to a brighter day, where the rule of law, the sovereignty of nations, and the rights of individuals are respected!
Hmmm….isn’t this special!!
The mechanism for European arrest warrants was put in place at the urging of the US who claimed that this would help in the war on terror. (snigger)
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Yep! Not bad for
“… a leftist militant and anti-American prosecutor!
Perhaps a bit of Italian Patriotism at work.”
I always liked the artisticy and creativity of Italians throughout the ages …
“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
The EAW is not a response to 9/11 even though the Commission’s framework agreement proposal was published a few days after and agreed the following year. This page on the EU site explains the background and the development from bi-lateral extradition treaties to the EAW. Neither is the process confined to offences connected with terrorism:
Thanks for posting this, certainly not for the content, but to show how the AP is on the ball. This news came out at the end of November, beginning of December. I reported it here on December 6th, which isn’t the point.
With due respect, whoever wrote this wire at the AP- and that goes for the CNN, too- should go out and find another job. Passing off old stories with incomplete information (the Castelli bullshit remark on Spataro’s alleged personal political opinions)has no place in a reporter’s repertoire.
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That is the new aspect today, as remarked above, the European version of the Patriots Act in combating terror was used to get European arrest warrents!
Justice and some Human Rights in the European Union still works!
“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
Doesn’t the latest development extend the area of arrest to the entire EU? Before it was only in Italy?
Seems like the world is getting smaller and smaller every day for some people.
In the Abu Gharib case, it was possible that it was just the case of “some bad apples”. In this case, that is no longer arguable. There has to be some high level officers who gave the orders. They must be shitting in their pants.
and will we extradite these criminals? or are we a terrorist nation that does not follow the rule of law?
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WASHINGTON — Anti-communist militant Luis Posada Carriles, 77, is being held in the US where he is seeking political asylum. Carriles is wanted by both Cuba and Venezuela in connection with the 1976 attack, that killed 73 people.
Luis Posada Carriles deniesinvolvement in the airliner bombing
US officials said they do not turn over those suspected of crimes to any regime that would hand them over to Cuba.
Venezuelan Vice-President Jose Vicente Rangel described the US position as “an excuse, a subterfuge, that they are using precisely in order to not approve the extradition”. He insisted that Mr Posada Carriles would appear before the Venezuelan courts if he was extradited.
Carriles has been linked to a series of attacks on Cuban interests over the last four decades. He was released from prison in Panama last year after he was granted a presidential pardon over an alleged plot to kill President Castro in 2000.
Recently declassified documents show Mr Posada Carriles used to work for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY