Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

Last Wednesday, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, told me that he knew that no prisoners have gone, or will go, through Shannon on the way to Guantanamo Bay or any other torture chambers throughout the world. Since then, we have heard of three suicides at Guantanamo, and the Taoiseach may have heard President Bush's Administration responding. Rear Admiral Harry Harris said that the suicides were an act of "asymmetrical warfare" against the US. He may also have heard the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, Ms Colleen Graffy, describe the three suicides as a good public relations move. Today, it was found that a prisoner had secretly been on board a US-hired civilian aeroplane. He had been handcuffed and manacled, supposedly for a minor transgression. The US authorities said that there had been an administrative error.

Given the Government's position regarding such activities, if the prisoner had been found to be en route to a torture camp in breach of international law, it would be guilty of collusion and complicit through having accepted mere diplomatic assurances. That much is clear when one reads the law.

According to Article 4 of the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which was signed on 10 December 1984 in New York:

Each State Party shall ensure that all acts of torture are offences under its criminal law. The same shall apply to an attempt to commit torture and to an act by any person which constitutes complicity or participation in torture.

According to Article 16 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, which was signed on 7 December 1944 in Chicago:

The appropriate authorities of each of the contracting States shall have the right, without unreasonable delay, to search aircraft of the other contracting States on landing or departure, and to inspect the certificates and other documents prescribed by this Convention.

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