BIGGIN HILL: Torture victim's plea to end rendition flights (From News Shopper)

BIGGIN HILL: Torture victim's plea to end rendition flights

8:30am Tuesday 11th August 2009

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EXTRAORDINARY rendition flights through airports such as Biggin Hill must be stopped, says a torture victim who was flown to the Middle East and spent 10 months in a Syrian jail.

Maher Arar says his reputation has been ruined because of his experience after September 2001, and he is suing the American government to try and get it to stop the secret flights.

The father of two was arrested in September 2002 while on a stop-over in New York.

He was detained and interrogated for two weeks by the city's police, the FBI and the American immigration service.

He was then bundled on to a plane and flown via Europe to Jordan before being transported to Syria.

There he was tortured, abused and forced to make false confessions.

The jet thought to have carried Mr Arar, registered N829MG, has stopped four times in Britain.

All of these stops were at Biggin Hill airport.

There is no suggestion Biggin Hill Airport is guilty of any wrongdoing.

Mr Arar says if European governments did not let America use their airspace and airports then the alleged torture would stop instantly.

Speaking to News Shopper from his home in Canada, he said: "I think in general governments know of rendition cases and if it were not for the help and support of the European countries the USA would not be able to implement the programme.

"Many European airports have been used to rendition suspects.

"The European countries should take some responsibility and there should be some kind of inquiry."

He added: "The only thing for stopping this programme is for European countries to stop co-operating.

"European countries cannot claim anymore that they know nothing.

"They should prevent these flights from landing and not let them use their airspace so they cannot use them to fly places like Syria or Jordan."

Mr Arar's comments came as the House of Commons foreign affairs committee published its report on rendition.

The document calls for an investigation into the practice, and demands to know whether the British Government is complicit in torture.

Any complicity has been denied by the head of MI6 Sir John Scarlett.

Mr Arar was flown to Jordan via Rome rather than Biggin Hill but says there must be an investigation by all European countries.

He said: "I'm afraid that this virus has spread to other countries such as the UK and I have heard stories about the UK agencies torturing its citizens.

"If my evidence will be deemed important by the inquiry judge and if I get an invitation then I will go."

The 39-year-old added: "My lawsuit will hopefully help to get justice.

"I am working to get justice so something good will have come out of my experience."

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