Two days after the European Parliament criticised member states for turning a blind eye to CIA Extraordinary rendition activities, Italy’s move to put 26 CIA agents on trial for the kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric in Milan in 2003 could be the first of many cases, UK Euro MP Jean Lambert has today warned.

Jean Lambert, who sits on the European Parliament’s temporary Committee of Inquiry, called on member state parliaments and governments to investigate fully what may have been happening on their territory by continuing their own inquiry and today welcomed Italy’s lead to hold the first criminal trial over ‘extraordinary rendition’.

Jean commented; “The European Parliament’s report confronted us with an uncomfortable reality, that the CIA did both abduct and transport civilians in EU Countries, a practice that many Governments and key officials were aware of.  It is vital that justice is done through criminal trials such as the one Italy has ordered, for those who may have experienced such torture and to ensure that these violations never happen again.

“I am pleased to see that the Italian Government is acting on the allegations. The trial will dig a lot deeper into this individual case than we previously could in the EU Parliament and may reveal further information that was not unearthed before. In the event of this happening we will re-evaluate our findings and will keep a close watch over the trials activities as it progresses.”

ENDS
Jean Lambert:  In October 2005 Jean was named MEP 2005 for Justice and Human Rights.  Jean was first elected Green Party Member of the European Parliament for London in the 1999 European elections. She was re-elected in 2004. She is one of nine MEPs representing London and one of two UK Green representatives in the European Parliament.