The European Union is holding a vote today on whether to endorse a report accusing several European governments of complicity in the CIA’s practice of extraordinary rendition. The report says several governments were silent despite knowing the CIA was holding prisoners on European soil before sending them off to possible torture. Terry Davis, secretary general of Europe’s largest human rights body, the Council of Europe, urged lawmakers to endorse the report.

Terry Davis: “These extraordinary renditions, these secret detentions, I mean, we know they’ve taken place. The argument is where they have taken place. President Bush says they have taken place. And they are breaches, they are abuses, they are violations of existing human rights obligations of European governments. The European Convention on Human Rights prohibits such abuses. Now the issue is not to extend the convention. That is not necessary. We have a perfectly adequate provision. What we need to do is to implement it, to make it effective.”

Several European governments are attempting to water down the report before it is adopted. Human Rights Watch spokesperson Reed Brody urged Parliament members to resist the pressure.

Reed Brody: “A weak report would show that Europe is not serious with distancing itself from these illegal CIA activities. A weak report would show that Europe is very strong when it comes to criticizing abuses in the Sudan or in China, but not if these abuses are taking place in Europe.”