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Watcher | 02.03.2006 12:40

Statewatch News Online, 2 March 2006 (04/06)
Full contents see:  http://www.statewatch.org

1. Council of Europe: Damning report on secret detentions and
transport of detainees
2. CIA-renditions-flights: Speech by Tony Bunyan to the European Parliament
3. EU-UN: Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air
4. EU: Directive on returning illegally staying third-country nationals
5. UK: Police and Justice Bill
6. UK: House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee: Human
Rights Report
7. Denmark: Documents confiscated and criminal charges brought
8. UK: Amnesty International report: Human rights: a broken promise
9. Italy/Iraq: Abu Ghraib prisoner claims Italian contractors took
part in interrogations
10. France: Text of the new anti-terrorist law
11. EU: Justice and Home Affairs Council, Brussels, 21 February 200
12. UK: Text of the Identity Card Bill and Terrorism Bill
13. EU: Article 29 Working Party: EU data protection rules and
internal whistleblowing
14. EU: Updated map of detention camps
15. UK: Joint Committee on Human Rights on control orders
16. UN: Report on Guantanamo Bay detainees
17. Italy: Decree to implement electronic passports containing biometric data
18. France: Council of Europe human rights commissioner presents
damning report
19. US: The Quadrennial Review for the US Department of Defence
20. Greece: Immigration news digest
21. UK: An extraordinary Bill: Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill

1. Council of Europe:
Damning report on secret detentions and transport of detainees by
foreign agencies (full-text, pdf).
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/mar/coe-cia-flights-rep-feb-06.pdf

The report concludes that: Europe has next to no safeguards to
monitor or control foreign intelligence agents nor any way of
monitoring that its airports and airspace were not used for illegal abductions.

For a: Full list of the replies given by each European government to
the CoE's questions (link):
 http://www.coe.int/T/E/Com/Files/Events/2006-cia/

2. CIA-renditions-flights: Speech by Tony Bunyan, Statewatch, to the
European Parliament hearing on 23 February 2006 (pdf):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/mar/tb-ep-cia-rendition-hearing.pdf

3. EU-UN: Council discussions on the: Protocol Against the Smuggling
of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the United Nations
Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime and Protocol to
Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women
And Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention Against
Transnational Organised Crime (pdf):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/eu-un-protocol-trafficking-05535-rev2.06.pdf

4. EU: Council discussions on: Directive on common standards and
procedures in Member States for returning illegally staying
third-country nationals (pdf):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/eu-common-standards-returns-14814-05.pdf

5. UK: House of Commons Research Library: Briefing on Police and
Justice Bill (pdf):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/mar/hoc-res-police-and-justice-bill.pdf

Police and Justice Bill (pdf):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/jan/uk-police-and-justice-Bill.pdf

Explanatory Notes (pdf):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/jan/uk-police-and-justice-Bill-explan.pdf

The Bill includes powers to collect PNR (Passenger Name Records) on
everyone on domestic flights and ferries (powers to get similar
personal data on those flying in and out of the country are included
in the Immigration Bill). Plus allowing "community support officers"
to take part in "truancy sweeps", power to court to remand in custody
those breaching ASBOs until hearing, and police force mergers.

6. UK: House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee: Human
Rights Annual Report 2005 (pdf):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/uk-hoc-foreign-affairs-rep.pdf

It includes the following conclusion: "We conclude that the
Government has a duty to enquire into the allegations of
extraordinary rendition and black sites under the Convention against
Torture, and to make clear to the USA that any extraordinary
rendition to states where suspects may be tortured is completely unacceptable."

7. Denmark: Documents confiscated and criminal charges brought
against Danish association 'Oproer' (Rebellion):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/13denmark-rebellion.htm

8. UK: Amnesty International report: Human rights: a broken promise (pdf):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/ai-uk-report.pdf

"Since 11 September 2001, the UK authorities have passed a series of
new laws, even though the UK already had some of the toughest
"anti-terrorism" laws in Europe. These laws contain sweeping
provisions that contravene human rights law, and their implementation
has led to serious abuses of human rights."

9. Italy/Iraq: Hooded Abu Ghraib prisoner claims Italian contractors
took part in interrogations and details abuses:
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/12italy-abu-ghraib.htm

10. France: Text of the new anti-terrorist law:
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/11-france-anti-terr-law.htm

11. EU: Justice and Home Affairs Council, Brussels, 21 February 2006:
Press release (pdf):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/jha-press-rel-feb-06.pdf

- A Point agenda (adopted without discussion):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/jha-A-Point-agenda.pdf

- B Point Agenda:
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/jha-B-Point-agenda.pdf

- Background Note (pdf):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/jha-background-note-21-Feb-06.pdf

- Discussion includes the European Evidence Warrant (doc no: 15957/05):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/eew-15957-05.pdf

- See also updated Terrorism Action Plan, 13 February 2006:
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/eu-terr-action-plan-feb-06.pdf

12. UK: Text of the Identity Card Bill as agreed by the House of
Commons and sent back to the House of Lords, 14 February 2006:
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/uk-id-card-Bill-14-feb-06.pdf

Text of the Terrorism Bill as agreed by the House of Commons and sent
back to the House of Lords, 16 February 2006 (the Commons rejected
the HoL amendment on "glorification"):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/uk-terrorism-Bill-16-feb-06.pdf

13. EU: Opinion from the Article 29 Working Party on the application
of EU data protection rules to internal whistleblowing schemes in the
fields of accounting, internal accounting controls, auditing matters,
fight against bribery, banking and financial crime: WP 117 (pdf):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/wp117.pdf

14. EU: Updated map of detention camps for foreigners in Europe and
Mediterranean countries:
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/10eu-detention-camps.htm

15. UK: Report from the Joint Committee on Human Rights on the human
rights implications of the operation of the control orders regime
under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 (PoTA 2005) (101 pages, pdf):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/uk-jt-hr-cttee-control-orders.pdf

In the context of the Home Secretary's decision to lay before
Parliament a draft Order which, if approved by both Houses, will
continue the regime in force for a further year from 11 March 2006.

15. House of Lords Select Committee on the European Union: Report on
Proposed European Institute for Gender Equality (pdf):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/hol-european-inst-gender-equality.pdf

16. UN: Report on Guantanamo Bay detainees (February 2006):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/un-guantanamo-feb-06.pdf

17. Italy: Decree to implement electronic passports containing
biometric data - biometric data collected "will not be stored in databases":
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/08italy-biometric-passports.htm

18. France: Council of Europe human rights commissioner presents
damning report:
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/07coe-france-report.htm

19. US: The Quadrennial Review for the US Department of Defence
envisages an on-going "war on terrorism" across the globe with the
help of "willing" allies. Among the shift envisage is a move from
bombing or troops on the ground to extensive use of unmanned drones
(up to 45% of its long-range strike force) whih could bomb or
assasination at the touch of a computer button thousands of miles
away: Quadrennial Defense Review Report - full-text (pdf):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/us-quad-def-review.pdf

See: Guardian: Special report: America's Long War - US introduces
radical new strategy (link):
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0%2C%2C5399931-110878%2C00.html

20. Greece: Immigration news digest (10 January - 8 February 2006):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/06greece-imm-digest.htm

21. UK: An extraordinary Bill being put through by the government
would allow them to "amend, repeal or replace" any legislation by the
statutory instrument procedure (ie: that used to implement Acts):
Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill (pdf):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/uk-legislation-reform-bill.pdf

Explanatory Note (pdf):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/feb/uk-legislation-reform-bill-explan.pdf

Article by Daniel Finkelstein in the Times: How I woke up to a
nightmare plot to steal centuries of law and liberty (link):
 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0%2C%2C6-2040625%2C00.html


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