The European Parliament on November 29 released a report condemning European governments for facilitating illegal CIA operations in Europe. Human Rights Watch was the first human rights organization to report on secret CIA detention centers, and has documented and spoken out frequently against European complicity in "extraordinary rendition," by which terror suspects have been transferred to countries that routinely practice torture.
We testified before the EU parliamentary committee in February and May 2006 about these issues and advocated a strong stand against member states' collusion in unlawful rendition and secret detention. The committee specifically thanked Human Rights Watch for its research and assistance. The committee's report is especially significant in the face of the universal failure of European governments and EU officials to admit their knowledge of these abuses.
