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Unusual US military activity at Shannon and in Irish Airspace
 international |
anti-war / imperialism |
news report
 Monday July 28, 2008 21:22 by Edward Horgan
Is something going down somewhere sometime soon?
Shannon airport and Irish airspace are being used on a daily basis by US warplanes, with the permission of the Irish Government, in contravention of international laws on neutrality, in spite of the Irish Governments claims that Ireland is still a neutral state.
Lies, Lies and Damn Lies On Friday last, 25 July there were two US airforce Hercules C130 warplanes at Shannon.
On Sunday a US military Gulfstream IV N473GA. Painted in military colours, US military reg 90-0300, landed and refuelled at Shannon.
http://www.planepictures.net/netsearch4.cgi?srch=90-030...rng=2
Also refuelled at Shannon on Sunday was a C17 US warplane. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-17_Globemaster_III
We have reliable reports that the following US warplanes flew through Irish airspace also on Sunday 27th July:
C5 - US military cargo plane and a Boeing Sentry, a surveillance and communications plane.
http://www.airframes.org/reg/750560 About http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-3_Sentry
See also in todays Irish Times P4 details of Irish complicity in the rendition of Binyam Mohamed to Morocco, to Afghanistan, and to Guantanamo using CIA aircraft N379P and N313p, that were refuelled at Shannon, and whose crews stayed overnight in the Shannon region.
The noose is tightening around our complicit criminals at Shannon and Leinster House.
see also Amnesty Press release
Amnesty International
NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release
25 July 2008
Amnesty welcomes UN support on renditions and trafficking
Amnesty International Irish Section has welcomed recommendations from the United Nations Human Rights Committee on renditions and trafficking. They were contained in the Committee’s concluding observations on Ireland’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The organisation’s Executive Director Colm O’Gorman has called on the Government to accept and implement the recommendations and said that the Government’s position on Shannon was now in ‘tatters’.
“The Irish Government’s position of relying on US assurances that Shannon is not being used to facilitate extraordinary renditions is in tatters,” said Mr O’Gorman.
“The UN Human Rights Committee is the latest organisation to warn the Government it is placing too much reliance on assurances from the United States that Shannon Airport is not being used for rendition flights.
“We welcome their support for a ‘…regime for the control of suspicious flights…’, which Amnesty International and various human rights organisations in Ireland have long been calling for. The Committee also recommends that ‘…all allegations of so-called renditions are publicly investigated.’ This echoes Amnesty International’s call for an independent inquiry to investigate thoroughly all allegations that aircraft engaged in renditions have transited Irish airspace or airports.
“The Government must be clear whether it will accept these recommendations or whether the United Nations is to be ignored in favour of dubious assurances from discredited sources that Irish airspace is not being used as part of the illegal CIA renditions programme.
“It is one thing for the Government to refuse to listen to the voice of human rights organisations and legal experts but when the United Nations joins the Council of Europe in supporting our position the Government cannot continue to bury its head in the sand.”
The UN Human Rights Committee also expressed its concerns the victims of trafficking were not being properly protected.
“Amnesty International welcomed the entry into law last month of the
Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008 but warned that the Government was still failing trafficking victims,” continued Mr O’Gorman. “Protections for victims are conditional and fall short of our international commitments under the European Convention on Action Against Trafficking.
“I am calling on the Government to accept the UN’s recommendation to allow trafficking victims to remain in the state even if they do not cooperate with the Gardaí in prosecuting alleged traffickers. “Given the nature of these criminal gangs, victims who work with the Gardaí can understandably be concerned not only for their own safety but that of their families in their home countries.
“This would be an important step for the Government in meeting the minimum standards for the protection of these women who have been subjected to
horrific abuses.”
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Justin Moran, Communications Coordinator, Amnesty International
01 863 8300, 085 814 8986
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Comments (8 of 8)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8More than ever it is vital that Brian Cowen is persuaded to inspect US Military and other suspect aircraft at Shannon, and the veil of double-talk and silence be lifted. It is eminently clear that the CIA uses Shannon as a way-station through which the more effectively to conduct rendition flights; if we can make such media noise about the arrest of war criminals elsewhere, our record on taking the US to task is both cowardly and abysmal. As a writer, I am calling upon Aosdana and the Irish Writers Union to issue a statement immediately condemning the US military use of Shannon and the CIA use of Shannon and asking Brian Cowen at once to make a similar public statement.
The anti-fascist covenants such as the Nuremburg Trials and the Geneva Conventions of war, ought to be examined here on these questions. U.S. Judge Jackson who chaired the Nuremburg Trials stated that the planning and carrying out of Aggressive War is the supreme international crime on planet earth, as it sets in motion all other crimes high and low, big and small. He further stipulated that it is a crime if Germany does it or the United States. This aggreement as covenant is signed on to by the United States and the Republic of Ireland and constitues international law for the majority countries of the planet. Seeing that this is the case and that the Blair-Bush lies and deceptions that pushed for aggressive war which up to now has on an on-going bases killed more than two million people, there is indeed a need to press international anti-fascist law and put U.S. Imperialism on trial internationally in the International war crimes tribunal, and International criminal court , and the international court of justice. (Hague) The U.S. constitution says that treaties signed on to by the U.S. A.) are the supreme laws of the land relating to America. Impeachment talks are now being allowed in congress and it would be wise of Ireland to put its case against the criminal infringement of Irish neutrality before the Congress of the United States. In light of these national and international laws, Mary Kelly is not guilty of any crime whatsoever, and should be compensated for the abuse and criminal procedings that have harrassed her over the last few years, but not only is she and her comrades in ploushares not guilty, they are in fact Irelands new heros and the worlds new heros. The crimes of rendition to torture carried on by the Criminal U.S. Imperialist military are soon to be dealt with on all levels and from each and every country on the planet. No passaran. Torture is a fascist method of medieval times and shall be abolished. The world is even now deciding how to dish out the just and deserved punishments to the Bushco. There is even a leading U.S. prosecutor who has authored true criminal books and reached the best seller list. His new book published by Vanguard books is titled , ' The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder'. He uses the U.S. constitution and swears that he will see Bush tried for murder of the four thousand U.S. troops killed by him, and that done in an American Court. Indeed there needs to be more Mary Kellys in the world and more and more activity to stop these illegal aggressive wars that are destroying our air, land, water, plants, animals, and peoples. Time is on the anti-fascist side and not on the side of the Aggressive Imperialist war mongers committing crimes against humanity using the right to cover their unjust moves.
These are just some of the recent books in the US available through Amazon.com on the topic of impeachment of George W Bush.
1. The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder by Vincent Bugliosi (Hardcover - May 26, 2008)
2. United States v. George W. Bush et al. by Elizabeth de la Vega (Paperback - Nov 1, 2006)
3. The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned Citizens by Elizabeth Holtzman and Cynthia L. Cooper (Paperback - Sep 11, 2006)
4. The Case for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing President George W. Bush from Office by Dave Lindorff and Barbara Olshansky (Paperback - May 29, 2007)
We urgently need to undertake legal proceedings against Irish politicians complicit in the crimes against humanity in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the torture rendition programme.
These photos of US troops in a specially constructed smoking area for US troops at Shannon airport indicate the lack of safety priorities at Shannon. First this smoking area is far too close to aircraft being refuelled, and secondly, it presents a large area of glass close to parked aircraft some of which are known to be carrying munitions and explosives.
I don't know about that photo the laster person posted - it has certain possibilities!
Could it ever happen?
US soldiers travelling from the US to Iraq are entitled to make applications for asylum and apply for Refugee Status under the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and enabling Irish legislation. Such Refugee status would be based on their unwillingness to participate in an unlawful war, and fear of persecution in the US for refusal to obey unlawful orders.
Additionally, US soldiers going from the US to Iraq, through Shannon airport, in Ireland, a declared neutral state, are entitled to claim beligerent prisoner of war status in Ireland under the Hague Convention V on Neutrality 1907. The Irish Government has an obligation under Article 2 of the Hague Convention to intern all US troops entering Irish territory for the duration of that war.
US troops returning from Iraq are in a different and more invideous position. Some may have been involved in or complicit in crimes against humanity or torture in Iraq or Afghanistan.
In such cases the Irish Government has obligations to arrest such US troops under the UN Convention against torture and under the various Geneva Conventions relating to war and the treatment of non-combatants in war.
US troops seeking asylum should go through the immigration control area rather than to the duty free lounge of the smoking area. They should seek to pass through the immigration control checkpoint and make their application from beyond the "airside" area. If necesasry contact should be made with the Irish Refugee Council at
Contact Irish Refugee Council
88 Capel Street, Dublin 1
Phone: +353-1-8730042
Fax: +353-1-8730088
E-mail: refugee@iol.ie
These photos of US troops in a specially constructed smoking area for US troops at Shannon airport indicate the lack of safety priorities at Shannon. First this smoking area is far too close to aircraft being refuelled, and secondly, it presents a large area of glass close to parked aircraft some of which are known to be carrying munitions and explosives.
Can you substantiate that? How far is the area from refuelling aircraft? What regulations or standards apply? How far would be safe?
As regards the munitions and explosives, this is a very regulated area. There are International Air transport Association guidelines and the Irish regulations set out in the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War and Dangerous Goods) Order,1973 Can you confirm that any specific breaches of the Regulations have occurred? Or are you just reaching for any old stick to beat America with?
Absolute Bullshit picture for a start.
The smoking area is out in a forecourt of the terminal building on the apron.It is beyond any area accesible by vechicles,especially fuel,service or baggage trucks.Nearest aircraft to it are appx 100 meters to the right[Ryanair stands]. To the left it is appx 60 meters to the first aircraft ramp on the terminal complex. The US troop aircraft usually use the last two stands on the extreme left of the terminal wing.NOWHERE near the smoking area.This is quite close to the long term car park and therefore more at risk from stupidity than smoking by terrorists of any kind.
Plus for those who obviously know fuck all about Shannon,but act like they do the transport aircraft park on a dead piece of taxiway a good 300 meters away from the terminal.Which is under army and garda surveillance and fenced off. So it is hardly likely that a discarded cig butt is going to do any damage to Irelands precious neutrality,or cause any mayhem in the airport.Must be pretty desperate in the anti American leauge ,if ye are all clutching at straws like this and have to muck up photos like this.