The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Alvaro Gil-Robles, has supported the position taken by the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) on the possible irregular transfer of detainees via Irish airports. In a letter this week to the President of the IHRC, Dr. Maurice Manning, Commissioner Gil-Robles said:
"…Given the widespread allegations of such transfers through numerous Council of Europe countries, I very much welcome the attention the Irish Human Rights Commission is paying to this issue and support its calls for greater transparency.
I have frequently maintained that States have a responsibility to ensure that their territory and facilities are not used for illicit purposes, especially not human rights violations and, even more particularly, for violations of Article 3 of the ECHR. In so far as so-called extraordinary rendition flights are concerned, States must be in a position, where there is doubt, to establish who is on board planes transitting via their airports, whether they are travelling freely or are detained, and, if the latter, under whose authority they are being transported and for what purpose. The IHRC’s proposal that the Irish Government seek the agreement of the US authorities to inspect aircraft would certainly facilitate this.
The Secretary General and the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe have launched enquiries into the recent allegations of extraordinary rendition flights in Europe and I welcome the Irish Government’s stated intention of cooperating fully with them. It is essential that the record be set straight and that, where necessary, the appropriate lessons are learnt. As your own involvement shows, National Human Rights Institutions have an important role to play in this work."
The Irish Human Rights Commission welcomes Commissioner Gil-Robles comments but has no further statement to make at this time.
A spokesperson for Mr. Gil-Robles is available for comment.
For details please contact Mr. Gavin McSpadden at the Irish Human Rights Commission.
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