The Galway Alliance Against War has joined peace and human rights organisations throughout the world in a united call to “Close Guantanamo with Justice”.
This appeal has been issued to coincide with the ninth anniversary of the camp being opened on January 11 2001. According to GAAW’s spokesperson Niall Farrell, Irish foreign policy has been inextricably linked to the US government’s use of “extraordinary rendition” and Guantanamo.
The recent Wikileaks revelations concerning US ‘rendition’ flights travelling through Shannon Airport highlighted that Irish sovereignty had been compromised years ago, well before the sordid EU/IMF ‘bailout’,” he said
According to the cable revealed by Wikileaks, the Justice Minister Dermot Ahern “seemed quite convinced that at least three flights involving renditions had refuelled at Shannon Airport before or after conducting renditions elsewhere.”
Mr Farrell said this cable shows the Government “knew it was facilitating torturers and means Ireland is contravening the UN Convention Against Torture”. He said this issue “highlights the obsequious nature” of the Government’s relationship to the USA.
