Amnesty International is calling on European governments to provide justice for the victims of the CIA's rendition and secret detention programs after the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.
The call comes as the London-based organization published a report titled "Open Secret: Mounting Evidence Of Europe's Complicity In Rendition And Secret Detention," ahead of an EU-U.S. summit in Portugal on November 20.
Amnesty researcher Julia Hall told reporters today that even though the report targets European governments, the organization hopes its impact will be felt in the United States, as well.
"As more information trickles out, it will be harder and harder for the United States government to continue to stonewall when it comes to accountability," Hall says. "So the processes that are happening in Europe, we do have hopes that they will have some kind of an impact across the Atlantic in the United States."
The 53-page document compiles the latest evidence of European countries' complicity in the CIA's programs of kidnapping, secret flights, illegal detention, and torture in the context of the fight against terrorism.
It also outlines degrees of progress in uncovering to what extent local officials were involved in the program in eight countries: Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Sweden, and Britain.
The report concludes that the response has so far been poor among EU countries, while also noting that Europe is still "fertile ground" for accountability, especially compared to the United States -- which is described as an "accountability-free zone."
The call comes as the London-based organization published a report titled "Open Secret: Mounting Evidence Of Europe's Complicity In Rendition And Secret Detention," ahead of an EU-U.S. summit in Portugal on November 20.
Amnesty researcher Julia Hall told reporters today that even though the report targets European governments, the organization hopes its impact will be felt in the United States, as well.
"As more information trickles out, it will be harder and harder for the United States government to continue to stonewall when it comes to accountability," Hall says. "So the processes that are happening in Europe, we do have hopes that they will have some kind of an impact across the Atlantic in the United States."
The 53-page document compiles the latest evidence of European countries' complicity in the CIA's programs of kidnapping, secret flights, illegal detention, and torture in the context of the fight against terrorism.
It also outlines degrees of progress in uncovering to what extent local officials were involved in the program in eight countries: Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Sweden, and Britain.
The report concludes that the response has so far been poor among EU countries, while also noting that Europe is still "fertile ground" for accountability, especially compared to the United States -- which is described as an "accountability-free zone."