Saturday, May 21, 2005
WaPo: New Swedish Documents Illuminate CIA Action
Probe Finds 'Rendition' Of Terror Suspects Illegal [According to Swedish Law - something the Post saves for inside the article.]
...Swedish security police said they were taken aback by the swiftness and precision of the CIA agents that night. Investigators concluded that the Swedes essentially stood aside and let the Americans take control of the operation, moving silently and communicating with hand signals, the documents show.
"I can say that we were surprised when a crew stepped out of the plane that seemed to be very professional, that had obviously done this before," Arne Andersson, an assistant director for the Swedish national security police, told government investigators...
Just sit back kid, we'll show you how it's done. Imagine, treating terror suspects with extreme caution before letting them on a plane! The nerve! Slicing their nickers off? Why, their self-esteem may have suffered.
Do I have "concerns" about extraordinary rendition? Of course. I simply learn nothing to address them from this article, despite the Post's efforts at creating an ominous tone.
Previous entry on the Washington Post and the CIA's private jet is here.
Edit: What you can lose sight of very quickly is the fact that this story isn't really about the CIA and extraordinary rendition. This was done at the request of the Swedish Government who wanted them sent back to Egypt fast before their lawyers could file appeals. Sweden has been found guilty by a UN committee of violating the torture treaty. Leave it to the American press to let us know who's fault it really is - not Egypt's for (probably) actually torturing the guys, not Sweden's for sending him there on the double, but America's for providing the taxi. Everyone has their bit of responsibility. Where the reportage tends to assign it is always interesting.
