[Marxism] Obama to let CIA use controversial renditions

[Nasir Khan]

Obama to let CIA use controversial renditions
Terror suspects can still be secretly seized and sent to other countries.

LOS ANGELES TIMES | statesman.com
Sunday, February 01, 2009

WASHINGTON — The CIA's secret prisons and Guantánamo Bay detention
center are being shuttered. Harsh interrogation techniques are
off-limits.

But, under executive orders issued by President Barack Obama last
week, the CIA still has authority to carry out "renditions," the
secret abductions and transfers of prisoners to countries that
cooperate with the U.S.

Current and former U.S. intelligence officials said that the rendition
program may be poised to play an expanded role going forward because
it is the main remaining mechanism — aside from Predator missile
strikes — for taking suspected terrorists off the street.

"Obviously you need to preserve some tools. You still have to go after
the bad guys," said an Obama administration official, speaking on
condition of anonymity when discussing the legal reasoning. "The legal
advisers working on this looked at rendition. It is controversial in
some circles. … But if done within certain parameters, it is an
acceptable practice."

The decision to preserve the program didn't draw major protests, even
among some human rights groups.

"Under limited circumstances, there is a legitimate place" for
renditions, said Tom Malinowski, the Washington advocacy director for
Human Rights Watch.

But Malinowski said he has urged the Obama administration to require
that prisoners be transferred to other countries only when there is a
guarantee they will get a public hearing in an official court.
"Producing a prisoner before a real court is a key safeguard against
torture, abuse and disappearance," Malinowski said.

Republished: http://nasir-khan.blogspot.com/2009/02/obama-to-let-cia-use-controversial.html