McDowell deal with US alarming and sinister
Sinn Féin TD Seán Crowe has described as ‘alarming’ news that the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell has signed an agreement with the US that allows for the detention and interrogation of people in Ireland by US secret service agents and that also allows agencies like the CIA access to personal details including their bank accounts. Deputy Crowe said it was a ‘particularly sinister development’ in relation to civil liberties and human rights in this State.
The Dublin South West TD said, “The signing of this agreement is a particularly sinister and dangerous development for civil liberties and human rights in this State and indeed the sovereignty of the State itself. It is absolutely unacceptable that an organisation like the CIA, given the malevolent role it played in creating the war in Iraq and given its absolutely appalling record in relation to respect for international law and human rights, should be allowed by the Irish Government to conduct investigations and interrogations on Irish soil.
“This is not an agreement of ‘mutual assistance’ – this is all one way traffic. It is designed to aid the USA's so-called war on terrorism – a war that has already seen the deaths of at least 25,000 civilians in Iraq, mostly at the hands of the US and British armed forces.
“The retrograde step that the US has taken in relation to protecting the rights of its own citizens and the erosion of fundamental freedoms following 9-11, which had included the internment of people without charge or access to a lawyer and the kidnapping of people from other jurisdictions must not be allowed to become part of the norm here. It doesn’t matter if other EU countries have signed up to this agreement –we should not – and certainly not without a proper public debate on the issue.
“Michael McDowell has already claimed he is against a rights based society. That claim takes on a much more alarming significance in light of this latest agreement he has signed.” ENDS