Transport of Terror Suspects Questioned
By Kirsten Thomas, 03.22.06

The United States is being accused of using European airports and air space to transport terror suspects to countries where these suspects are possibly being tortured. U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales defended the United States against criticism from European leaders and human rights groups about the treatment of terror suspects at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think-tank in London.

According to the Associated Press, Gonzales denied the accusations.

“The U.S. abhors torture and categorically rejects its use,” Gonzales said in London. He added that the United States does not transport detainees “to a country if we believe it more than likely than not that the individual would be tortured,” he said.

Gonzales has defended the treatment of terror suspect prisoners, saying that the U.S. had to use all available tools to fight terror, according to the Associated Press. In the same report, he reiterates U.S. claims that the detainees were “highly dangerous people” including terrorist trainers, bomb makers and potential suicide bombers.

According to Dr. John Neimeyer, former White House strategic contingency planner and Naval War College Professor, this is the first time American’s have faced such a war.

“American’s have a problem with the war and the issue of prison camps because, the war on terror seems to have no end; there as been no declaration of war and there is no possibility to repatriate prisoners at the end of the war,” said Neimeyer. “These terror suspects the United States has in prison camps are prisoners of an undeclared war,” he said.

The United States use of foreign soil and airspace to transport terror suspects to detention facilities does not seem to be alarming for some Americans. The treatment of these prisoners however is a concern.

“If [the U.S. military] is not committing any war crimes according to the rules made at Nuremburg for war crimes, or if they are not breaking fundamental human rights, then I don’t see anything wrong with it, said James Poe, a recent law graduate. “If they are causing people to get tortured indirectly then that’s probably a war crime. And in that respect it would be wrong,” he said.

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