Editing Extraordinary rendition (section)

=== Historical cases ===

The [[American Civil Liberties Union]] alleges that extraordinary rendition was developed during the [[Clinton administration]]. CIA officials in the mid-1990s were trying to track down and dismantle [[Islamic fundamentalism|militant Islamic]] organizations in the [[Middle East]], particularly [[Al Qaeda]].<ref name="ACLU-Fact-Sheet" />

According to Clinton administration official [[Richard A. Clarke|Richard Clarke]]:

{{blockquote|'extraordinary renditions', were operations to apprehend terrorists abroad, usually without the knowledge of and almost always without public acknowledgment of the host government ... The first time I proposed a snatch, in 1993, the [[White House Counsel]], [[Lloyd Cutler]], demanded a meeting with the President to explain how it violated international law. Clinton had seemed to be siding with Cutler until [[Al Gore]] belatedly joined the meeting, having just flown overnight from [[South Africa]]. Clinton recapped the arguments on both sides for Gore: 'Lloyd says this. Dick says that.' Gore laughed and said, 'That's a no-brainer. Of course it's a violation of international law, that's why it's a covert action. The guy is a terrorist. Go grab his ass.'<ref>[[Richard A. Clarke]], ''[[Against All Enemies]]'' pp 143–4</ref>}}

Both the Bush and Clinton cases involved apprehending known terrorists abroad, by covert means if necessary. The Bush administration expanded the policy after the [[9/11 attacks]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Dunn|first=Hastings|date=2005|title=Bush, 11 September and the conflicting strategies of the War on Terrorism.|journal=Irish Studies in International Affairs |volume=16|pages=11–33|doi=10.3318/ISIA.2005.16.1.11|jstor=30001932|s2cid=153831509 }}</ref>

In a ''[[The New Yorker|New Yorker]]'' interview with CIA veteran [[Michael Scheuer]], an author of the rendition program under the Clinton administration, writer [[Jane Mayer]] noted:

<blockquote>In 1995, American agents proposed the rendition program to [[Egypt]], making clear that it had the resources to track, capture, and transport terrorist suspects globally – including access to a small fleet of aircraft. Egypt embraced the idea ... 'What was clever was that some of the senior people in Al Qaeda were Egyptian,' Scheuer said. 'It served American purposes to get these people arrested, and Egyptian purposes to get these people back, where they could be interrogated.' Technically, U.S. law requires the CIA to seek 'assurances' from foreign governments that rendered suspects won't be tortured. Scheuer told me that this was done, but he was 'not sure' if any documents confirming the arrangement were signed.<ref name="mayer" /></blockquote>

Scheuer testified in 2007 before Congress that no such assurances were received.<ref>"I have read and been told that Mr. Clinton, Mr. Berger and Mr. Clarke have said, since 9/11, that they insisted that each receiving country treat the rendered person it received according to U.S. legal standards. To the best of my memory, that is a lie." [http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/110/34712.pdf ''Extraordinary Rendition in U.S. Counter terrorism Policy: The Impact on Transatlantic Relations''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101093745/http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/110/34712.pdf |date=1 November 2007 }}, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight, Subcommittee on Europe, 17 April 2007, p. 12.</ref> He acknowledged that treatment of prisoners may not have been "up to U.S. standards":

<blockquote>This is a matter of no concern as the Rendition Program's goal was to protect America. The rendered fighters delivered to Middle Eastern governments are now either dead or in places from which they cannot harm America. Mission accomplished, as the saying goes.<ref>[http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/110/34712.pdf Extraordinary Rendition in U.S. Counter terrorism Policy: The Impact on Transatlantic Relations.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101093745/http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/110/34712.pdf |date=1 November 2007 }}, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight, Subcommittee on Europe, 17 April 2007, p. 14.</ref></blockquote>

Thereafter, with the approval of President Clinton and a presidential directive ([[PDD 39]]), the CIA elected to send suspects to Egypt, where they were turned over to the Egyptian [[Egyptian General Intelligence Service|Mukhabarat]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report_Ch4.htm|title=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States|website=govinfo.library.unt.edu|access-date=2019-12-19}}</ref> (→ [[Tal'at Fu'ad Qasim]])