Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)

With regard to our involvement in these matters, Colm O'Gorman stated last week: "Ireland is not an innocent bystander. We have been complicit in kidnapping and torture by allowing Shannon airport to be used as a stop-over for rendition flights". Last year, in its concluding observations on Ireland, the UN Committee against Torture highlighted allegations of complicity in rendition and the State's failure to properly investigate these matters. The committee was concerned about the various reports of the State allegedly co-operating in a rendition programme under which rendition flights used the State's airports and airspace. It was also concerned about the inadequate response by the State in terms of investigating these allegations. It recommended that the State should provide further information on the specific measures taken to investigate these allegations and asked for clarification on measures to ensure such cases are prevented in the future.

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