Request for clarification about laws and standards that were applied in determining the legality of plane landings in Newfoundland
Posted: 20 January 2006
The Honourable Anne McLellan
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Ottawa, Ontario.K1A 0P8
January 18, 2006
Dear Deputy Prime Minister,
On November 22, 2005 Amnesty International wrote to Minister Lapierre, raising concerns about reports of possible landings of CIA planes in Canada and the possibility that some of those planes may have been involved in activities that contravene international and Canadian law, notably the extraordinary rendition of suspects to countries where they are likely to be subjected to torture.
On December 21, Minister Lapierre informed our office that our letter had been forwarded to you, for your consideration. We have heard nothing further from Minister Lapierre or from your office.
Meanwhile, media reports about these allegations have continued. In response, your office indicated that 55 flights into Canada would be reviewed. Earlier this week it was announced that the review was complete, there was no evidence of “illegal activities” and that “operational details” of the review would not be made public.
Amnesty International is writing this open letter to you now, as we would like to know what laws and standards were applied in determining the legality of any such activities. We have a number of critical questions:
- Has the review been limited to considering whether aviation laws had been met?
- Was there review of international human rights standards, such as the prohibitions on torture and arbitrary arrest, which are binding on both Canada and the United States?
- Has there been any attempt made to ascertain whether airplanes landing in or taking off from Canada have been involved in extraordinary rendition or other activities that may have contravened international law?
- Have inquiries been made of U.S. officials in an effort to determine the nature and purpose of these flights?
It is by no means apparent that the Canadian government is taking these reports with the level of alarm and seriousness we would expect. The Canadian response differs considerably from what has occurred in Europe where, among other mechanisms, the Council of Europe appointed a special investigator, Swiss Senator Dick Marty, to examine the concerns about possible CIA flights landing in Europe and the allegations of secret U.S.-run prisons in central and eastern European countries.
We look forward to hearing further from you about this, with details that do indicate the Canadian government is giving priority attention to this pressing concern.
Sincerely,
Alex Neve
Secretary General