Says Boeing Subsidiary Responsible For So-Called 'Torture'
Flights
Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen Dataplan
has helped the CIA secretly fly terrorism suspects to be tortured
in overseas prisons under an "extraordinary rendition" program, a
former Jepp employee testified in recent to court
documents.
A suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in federal
court Friday clams Jeppesen Dataplan enabled the clandestine
transport of five terrorism suspects to overseas locations, where
they were subjected to "forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading
treatment."
The US government wants a federal judge to toss the lawsuit out
on the basis that opening up the case in court will release state
secrets, according to the Associated Press. The ACLU contends the
clandestine transfer of terrorism suspects to US-run overseas
prisons or foreign intelligence agencies, known as extraordinary
rendition, is already a matter of public record "confirmed by
documentary evidence and eyewitness testimony," in the suit filed
on December, 14.
The ACLU also offered testimony from a former Jeppesen employee,
who said the company spoke openly of its role in extraordinary
rendition.
"Bob Overby, the director of Jeppesen International Trip
Planning Service, told new employees during an introductory
breakfast that 'we do all the extraordinary rendition flights,'"
according to a statement by Sean Belcher, a former technical writer
for Jeppesen in San Jose.
According to Belcher’s statement, "When some employees
looked puzzled at the statement, Overby added that he was referring
to "torture flights."
"Overby then said he understood some employees were not
comfortable with that aspect of Jeppesen's business but added
"that's just the way it is, we're doing them," and that the
rendition flights paid very well," according to Belcher’s
statement.
Five detainees have agreed with allegations of the suit through
their families, and lawyers and say that they were tortured and
abused against accepted standards.
ACLU cases were filed based on the alleged renditions of Binyam
Mohamed, an Ethiopian citizen, in July 2002 and January 2004;
Elkassim Britel, an Italian citizen, in May 2002; and Ahmed Agiza,
an Egyptian citizen, in December 2001; Bisher Al-Rawi, an Iraqi
citizen in December 2002 and Mohamed Farag Ahmad Bashmilah, a
Yemeni citizen, in October 2003 and April 2004.
Jeppesen has not commented on the allegations.