Guantanámo Bay Express uses Shannon Airport

It was very interesting. the US spooks told the Swedish spooks lies about the two captives - such as that one was wanted in Egypt for assassination Anwar Sadat (even though the 'suspect' was 13 yrs old at that time).

The US agents wore masks and only gave their first names. One of the prisoners was placed lying on the floor with hands and feet cuffed together behind his back. The other was strapped fast in the cabin, with his hands over his head.

One of the men was released from prison without charge in October last year, after 34 months of captivity, beatings and torture. He has not been allowed to leave Egypt to go to his new home in Sweden.

He is one of thousands who have been wrongly imprisoned, without charge or trial, in torture dens in client states like Egypt or places like Guantanamo. Some of them are sheepherders and taxi drivers, worng place, wrong colour, wrong name. Most of the real terrorists were already in police custody, or hiding in the hills of Afghanistan... not living in quiet Swedish suburbs, but the P.R. machine makes G.W. Bush look tough on terror.

Bertie said that the discussion on Shannon was 'over' and best left to historians. Of course it is... ignore the dead, ignore the crimes. go back to sleep.

This plane has probably taken hundreds of innocent people to be beaten and tortured. It has been seen several times at Shannon.

What would our government do if they 'knew' what was happening?

Well, in the Seanad 3 months ago, Senator Henry asked the Minister for 'Just-us' Michael McDowell if he could "assure us that untried and unsentenced people are not being brought through Shannon from goodness knows where to Guantanamo Bay". McDowell assured the Seanad that "Any person who is on the soil of Ireland is entitled to the protection of the Constitution. No person can be brought through the soil of Ireland in the custody of any other state except in accordance with International Law. If the Senator has reason to believe any person has been transited through Irish terroritory, in unlawful custody, particularly to Guantanamo, I would be interested to hear it because I would respond to it immediately."

We have our Constitution and the right of freedom of the individual is not confined to citizens; it applies to all persons. Therefore, it would cause me grave concern if I thought people were being smuggled through Irish territory in circumstances that amounted to unlawful detention in Irish law or in international law for that matter."

Seanad Records p286 &287 June 23 2004)

Fine words indeed, but McDowell's pretence of concern and desire for knowledge contrast starkly with the standing orders for the Gardai in Shannon.

During the trial of Eoin Dubsky in 2002, Inspector Tom Kennedy of Shannon Garda Station said that the Garda Siochana do not inspect US aircraft at Shannon because the government has 'an understanding' that the US is complying with all requirements.

The Inspector, along with the airport police tried to claim that they do not have authority to board the vessels, which is rubbish.

Under the Air Transport and Navigation Act, even if they suspect nothing, any Garda, or warranted Airport Police Officer can board any aircraft just to ensure that the contents match the paperwork.

This aircraft N379P is a regular at Shannon. FBO the company that handles it (and most of the military traffice at Shannon) refers to it to it as "Novermber Papa" ... the Guantanamo Bay Express. (FBO radio freq 13.675. Mhz)

The manager of FBO testified at Eoin's trial, and denied that FBO did anything dodgy. Since Mary Kelly's actions at Shannon, Shannon airport was full of cops, with eyes, ears, notebooks and pens... yet they have an 'understanding' that there is nothing to record.

In otherwords, the Garda have been told "See NOTHING, find NOTHING, say NOTHING". This 'plausible deniability' policy is a scandal. The Government denies everything, and everybody who has tried to investigate these things has been harrassed by An Garda Siochana, some have been assaulted, some have been stitched up and sent to a court with a Judge who publicly expresses distate for anti-war activists.

When things were exposed the government tried to sit it out and waffle about the morality of getting Hussein... not killing thousands of Iraqis... the value of US business, not the danger of explosive cargo at Shannon.

The mainstream media rarely crosses the line and allows the excuses to go unchallenged.

What's the excuse going to be for letting innocent people be taken off to be electrocuted? What's it worth to the economy? Why don't we create jobs and build our own Abu Ghraib in the Shannon Industrial Estate. McDowell and Harney could open it and then the hypocrisy would be finally complete.

What now?

A small number of people worked hard and with persistent obstacles to expose what is still happening at Shannon and the cover up in the Dail.

We publish information here hoping the public, and activists will act on it. After you've read this, don't just shake your head in dismay. If this is as much as you do, then this will be wasted. Go out and do something to help change this. If you're in Dublin get together with groups like Fairview Anti-war or your own group and show some public outrage at this. Demand accountability, not weasel answers. Call them liars when they waffle. Expose them, don't fear them.

If you're nearer to Shannon? Well the small number of people here could do with someone else doing some of the work.

And if you have a head for digging and investigating then you're especially welcome, because that takes time and people too.

Whatever you do, don't just look the other way.