Lothians police won't look into CIA torture flight claims

POLICE have rejected calls to investigate whether alleged "torture flights" run by the CIA which refuelled at Edinburgh Airport were carrying detainees to countries in eastern Europe.

The police were asked to investigate the flights - officially known as "extraordinary rendition" flights - by Lothians Green MSP Mark Ballard, after it emerged that 14 of the flights stopped in the Capital over the last four years.

But the police have now said they do not feel there is enough evidence of any crime to warrant an investigation.

It is claimed prisoners are flown to eastern Europe by the CIA so that aggressive interrogation techniques outlawed in the US can be deployed. Edinburgh Airport has been named by the American authorities as one of several Scottish airports used for the stops.

The revelation prompted protests at the airport yesterday, by members of the Stop the War Coalition, who held similar demonstrations at Glasgow and Prestwick.

Pat Smith, of the Edinburgh branch of the Stop the War coalition, said: "It was very successful, there were about 60 or 70 people there. We handed out hundreds of leaflets and waved 'stop the terrorist flights' placards. We also had a big banner. The leaflets said 'CIA flies above the law'."

The protest was peaceful and there were no arrests, the demonstrators said.

Under UN conventions and the European Convention on Human Rights, torture, and acts which aid or abet it, is illegal.

Responding to the request by Mr Ballard, a police spokesman said: "We need evidence that a criminal act is in the planning, in the course of perpetration, or has occurred, before deploying resources to a police investigation.

"At this time there is no evidence or information beyond speculation of any law breaking having occurred in connection with this matter of 'rendition flights' and as such there is no justification for police within Edinburgh to initiate an inquiry.

"Should further information come to light this matter would be reviewed."

The clamour for an investigation into extraordinary rendition has grown across Europe, after Germany said more than 400 flights had passed through its airports in recent years. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw previously stated there was no evidence that terror suspects have been flown through Britain by the CIA.

And his American counterpart Condoleezza Rice outlined the US position, stating that extraordinary rendition did not involve suspects being taken to countries where they could be tortured.

An investigation by the Council of Europe, however, showed the CIA did appear to have abducted suspects in Europe and illegally moved them to other countries.

Mr Ballard said the Executive must now take a stand on the issue and push for an investigation.

"I am extremely disappointed by this response from the police and I would stress again that if this was not about the CIA transporting prisoners but concerned allegations that flights were being used for sex trafficking, we would not see this reluctance to investigate," he said.

"The council for Europe has come out and said that governments must commit to investigating these flights, and I would hope the Scottish Executive would step up and play its part by asking the police to look into what these flights are being used for."