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Spies-R-Us
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| 20/6/06 |
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Full contents see: www.statewatch.org 1. EU: European Agency for the Management of External Borders (FRONTEX) – Annual Report 2005 1. EU: European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (FRONTEX): FRONTEX Annual Report for 2005: www.statewatch.org/news/2006/jun/frontex-report-2005.pdf 2. EU: Annual Report of the Network of Experts on Fundamental Rights on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union in 2005 (292pp, pdf) Another excellent annual report: www.statewatch.org/news/2006/jun/EU-funrights-report05.pdf Executive summary: www.statewatch.org/news/2006/jun/CFR-CDF-exec-summ-2005.pdf 3.. EU: International Federation of Journalists call for journalists to be protected: Germany: Press freedom law to protect journalists after raids (Statewatch bulletin): 4. USA: General Accountability Office slates “Secure Flight” plans to check air travel: See also Edward Hasbrouck’s comments (link): 5. EU: European Council (25 governments) 15-16 June: Agreed Conclusions (pdf) See pages 3-8 on justice and home affairs matters: 6. EU: Data protection proposal on police and judicial matters: Report adopted by European Parliament plenary session – under the consultation procedure (link): Report by rapporteur Martine Roure in Committee on Civil Liberties: Commission proposal: 7. Freedom of Information: The Manchester Declaration: Civil Society Organisations meeting in Manchester on the occasion of the 4th International Conference of Information Commissioners agreed this Declaration. It is signed by 28 NGOs. 8. Shetland: Latest: Huge turnout for Sakchai rally – 800 people at protest meeting: Pressure is growing on the Immigration Nationality Directorate to justify their treatment of a Thai born Shetlander who was arrested by immigration officers (Shetland Times, link): www.shetland-news.co.uk/pages/news%20stories/06_2006/pressure_grows_for_sakchai%27s_release.htm Church of Scotland kirk’s presbytery clerk in Lerwick, Reverend Charles Greig, wrote: “I hesitate to use the phrase but I will – this was nothing short of a ‘terrorist Petition: www.shetland-news.co.uk/pages/news%20stories/06_2006/petition_to_liam_byrne_mp.htm 9. EU: CIA flights/rendition: New report from the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe: Supplementary report by the Secretary General on people detained or removed: www.statewatch.org/cia/reports/coe-sg-14-jun-06.pdf CoE press release: 14 June 2006 (link): Additional information from CoE member states (link): See for full background Statewatch’s Observatory – full-text reports and 188 documents: 10. Amnesty International report: Partners in Crime: Europe’s role in US renditions: 11. MEPs: CIA “directly responsible” for abduction, detention and extraordinary renditions in Europe: European Parliament inquiry adopts interim report on CIA flights and rendtion Text of the Interim report: Press release: NEW: Contribution of the Rapporteur: Research on the planes used by the CIA – highly detailed 72 page report: 12. UK-London: Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC) statement, 9 June 2006: Police invasion of Forest Gate: “anti-terror raid” or psychological warfare? See: www.statewatch.org/news/2006/jun/campacc-forest-gate-raid.pdf 13. EU-USA PNR agreement: Letters sent by President Borrell of the European Parliament on the consequences of the Court case of 30 May on passenger name records (PNR): www.statewatch.org/news/2006/jun/eu-usa-pnr-borrell-letter2.pdf 14. European Data Protection Supervisor: Comments on ECJ judgment on PNR: “seems to create a loophole in the protection of the European citizen since it is no longer assured that data collected for commercial purposes but used by police are protected by the data protection directive”: See Statewatch’s Observatory on EU-USA PNR: 15. London: Lunchtime seminar at the Institute of Race Relations: Abu Ghraib, imprisonment and the war on terror (link): Monday, 26 June 2006 at 1pm. Speaker: Avery Gordon (Professor of Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara and author of Keeping Good Time: Knowledge, Power and People, Ghostly Matters: Haunting the Sociological Imagination and Mapping Multiculturalism). Chair: Jeremy Corbyn MP 16. UK: Report from the Consitutional Affairs Committee of the House of Lords on the Legialative and Regulatory Powers Bill: Lord Holme, the chairman of the committee, said: “The simple fact that ministers failed to recognise the profound constitutional importance of the legislative and regulatory reform bill does not inspire confidence that they would not use delegated powers to introduce constitutional change in the future, without even realising what they are doing. The way this bill has been handled shows that with our unwritten constitution, simple legislative proposals can drastically affect our law making system and the fundamental relationship between parliament and ministers.” Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill (as at 17 May 2006, pdf): Explanatory Note: 17. London: Children: Over Surveilled, Under Protected. Conference to be held at the London School of Economics, 27 June 2006, 2.00 p.m – 5.00 p.m (link) 18. Council of Europe: 14 European countries colluded in CIA renditions, 7 accused of rights violations (COE report): The latest report by the Council of Europe on “Alleged secret detentions and unlawful inter-state transfers involving Council of Europe member states” has said that 7 countries – Sweden, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Britain, Italy, Macedonia, Germany and Turkey – could be held responsible for “violations of the rights of specific persons” in connection with the CIA’s rendition programme. Spain, Cyprus, Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Romania and Poland are also accused of “collusion” with the United States. Rapporteur Dick Marty said there were also corroborated facts to suggest that Romania and Poland were detainee drop-off points near to secret detention centres: “Even if proof, in the classical meaning of the term, is not as yet available, a number of coherent and converging elements indicate that such secret detention centres did indeed exist in Europe”. The COE has produced a map showing stopover points, staging points, pick-up points and detainee transfer/drop off points: Global ‘’spiders web’’ of secret detentions and unlawful “renditions”: www.statewatch.org/news/2006/jun/01COEmap.htm 19. EU: Justice and Home Affairs Council, 1-2 June: press release: Agenda: “A points” (adopted without debate): Background note: 20. EU: “Tamil Tigers” added to EU “terrorist” list: The formal EU decision was taken on 29 May 2006, following earlier threats to do so. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have already been proscribed by the UK, US and Canada. Anton Balasingham, the Tamil Tigers’ chief negotiator, commented: “Further proscriptions will invigorate the hardline [Sinhalese] elements in the south, including those in the present Sri Lankan government urging the military defeat of the LTTE and silence those advocating a negotiated solution… The more the international community alienates the LTTE, the more the LTTE will be compelled to tread a hardline individualist path.’’ The EU declares itself “fully committed to the peace process in Sri Lanka” and recognises that the “upsurge in violence is not caused by the LTTE alone”. It sees no contradiction in banning the LTTE, freezing its funds and assets and prohibiting financial support while only “strongly urging the Sri Lankan authorities to curb violence in Government controlled areas”. BOOKMARK News online – full contents: ________________________________________________ |
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