JURIST - Paper Chase: Rights groups call for more details on secret CIA prisons

[JURIST] Rights activists on Thursday called for more information from the US government regarding secret CIA prisons where high-value terror suspects have been detained, saying that though US President George Bush's acknowledgement [JURIST report] Wednesday of the prisons' existence was welcome, more information needs to be disclosed. Manfred Nowak [DOC profile], the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture [official website], called the transfer of 14 high-value terror suspects [DNI profiles, PDF] to Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] from secret detention centers an "improvement," but pointed out that there may be many more detainees being held in undisclosed locations. The London-based rights group Liberty [advocacy website], meanwhile, on Thursday called on the UK government [press release] to "come clean" on any involvement with the US regarding the secret prisons. AP has more.

Also Thursday, EU lawmakers urged European countries which housed the prisons to step forward with any information they may have. Wolfgang Kreissl-Doerfler [official website, in German], a member of the European Parliament [official website] committee investigating the allegations [official website; JURIST report], stressed the importance of EU countries or those seeking membership to reveal their participation, including Poland and Romania, both accused of being involved [JURIST report]. Members of the committee are planning to visit Poland, Romania, Great Britain, and Germany as part of their investigation. Reuters has more.

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