Sikorski Blames
CIA Prison Affair on 'Excessive Zeal' in Warsaw (Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland)
"There are
consequences to the excessive zeal with which our policy decisions were made
years ago. … Poland is the only country in which the matter is pending
investigation. … It is a reminder for us that secret things should remain
secret … the leak in this case didn't take place in Poland. … That was a different time and a
different political situation … Polish authorities acted out of higher
necessity, but were overzealous." -- Sejm Marshal and former Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski
"There are consequences to the excessive zeal with
which our policy decisions were made years ago," Sejm Marshal and
former Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said when asked about the
Strasbourg Tribunal rejection of Poland's appeal of a judgment finding that
Poland, in the matter of CIA prisons, had violated the European
Convention on Human Rights.
At a briefing
Wednesday, Sikorski noted that when it comes to the case of CIA prisons and the
judiciary's probe of the case, "Poland is the only country in which the
matter is pending investigation. … It is a reminder for us that secret things
should remain secret, said the marshal. He
pointed out that "the leak in this case didn't take place in Poland."
For Radoslaw
Sikorski, Telling 'Truth' about U.S. Pays Off (Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland)
In 2002-2003, when, according to media reports, a CIA prison
was operating in Poland, Aleksander Kwaśniewski was president and Leszek
Miller prime minister.
"That was a different time and a different political
situation," Sikorski said. In his opinion, Polish authorities," acted
out of higher necessity, but were overzealous."
In December 2014, after the publication of the U.S. Senate
report on CIA secret prisons, former President Kwaśniewski said that after
the September 11 attacks, the Polish authorities decided to "agree to seek
forms of enhanced cooperation [with the Americans] in accordance with Polish
law."
The Americans, as Kwaśniewski then explained,
"appealed to the Polish side to find a quiet place in which to carry out
activities that would enable the effective collection of intelligence from
persons who had already declared their readiness to cooperate with the U.S.
side," The former president acknowledged that "there were concerns
about the fact that the facility was placed under exclusive American
control," and that there could be a problem with honest communication
about what was happening there.
President
Kwasniewski: 'Sadist' CIA Should Be Shuttered; Denies Knowledge of Torture
(Polityka, Poland)
Kwaśniewski refused to confirm that the object on
Polish territory was a CIA secret prison; he asserted that he didn't know what
was going on in the isolated CIA facility. He stressed that for his part, he
condemns torture and transgression of the law. He noted the there was no Polish
participation in any such activities. He also stated that Poland had reached an
agreement with the United States, a country of laws, so it was therefore
justified in believing that its activities would be conducted in accordance
with the law.
In July 2014, the European Court of Human Rights upheld
complaints against Poland brought by Abu Zubaidah, a Palestinian, and Saudi
citizen Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri. Both claim that in 2002-2003 they were, with
the consent of Polish authorities, detained by the CIA in a secret prison on
Polish territory where CIA agents tortured them. Poland sought rejection of the
suits, arguing, among others, that there is an ongoing Polish investigation
into the matter and that the government, by taking a position on a
still-pending investigation, could influence the independent prosecutor's
office.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Last October, the government appealed the Court's judgment,
asking the Grand Chamber [to which ECHR decisions are appealed] to consider its
appeal of the judgment of July 2014. Last Tuesday, however, the Strasbourg
Tribunal announced that the appeal had been rejected. The ECHR doesn't justify
its rejection of appeals. The Foreign Ministry confirmed that it will obey the
judgment.
The ECHR found seven violations of the European
Convention on Human Rights. It found that Poland violated, inter alia, prohibitions on torture and
inhumane treatment, and was obliged to make sure that persons under its
jurisdiction were not subject to torture. At the same time, the Court stressed
that the torture of the claimants at the intelligence center in Stare Kiejkuty
was "the sole responsibility" of the CIA. The Court also held that
Poland failed to comply with its obligation to cooperate with the Tribunal,
and found that Poland's investigation into the matter had been ineffective. The
only complaint to be dismissed was in respect to the infringement of the
principle of free expression. The complainants were awarded €100,000 each (plus
€30,000 for lawyer fees to Abu Zubaidah). The Court found "sufficient
evidence" of the applicants' claims, inter
alia, that they were imprisoned and tortured, due to, among other reasons,
that there has been no denial by the Polish government.
