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Amnesty calls on Poland to investigate secret CIA prison

BRUSSELS, June 12 (KUNA) -- The human rights oranisation Amnesty International Wednesday pressed Poland and the European Union to ensure that the country urgently investigates long-standing accusations that it hosted a CIA-run secret prison where suspects were tortured between 2002 and 2005. This call coincides with the launch of a new Amnesty International report titled "Unlock the truth, Poland's invovement in CIA secret detention".
"Although the Polish investigation is shrouded in secrecy, a lot of information is already in the public domain. Many say it's more than enough to indict former officials and intelligence officers," said Nicolas Beger, Director of Amnesty International's EU Office in Brussels.
"The EU must turn up the heat on Poland and any other EU countries implicated in the CIA-led secret detention and rendition programmes," he said in a statement.
Poland has been under the spotlight since 2005, and has long been accused of hosting a CIA-operated secret detention facility where suspects were held and tortured between 2002 and 2005.
In March 2008, the Polish authorities opened a criminal investigation which has suffered repeated delays, with "national security" being used to justify the secrecy shrouding the investigation, noted Amnesty.
The report says that during the investigations, two men, Abdulrahim al-Nashiri and Zayb al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn (Abu Zubaydah) were granted victim status.
The report also refers to a third man, Walid bin Attash, who was allegedly held in a secret detention site in Poland in 2003. All three are currently detained in Guant?namo prison. (end) nk.asa KUNA 121055 Jun 13NNNN