Protests are to be staged at four Scottish airports over allegations that they have been used for CIA "prisoner transfer" flights. Scottish Socialist Party MSPs will be among the demonstrators taking part in action at Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Prestwick on Sunday. The protest comes days before an SSP debate at Holyrood on the flights.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said there was no evidence America was using UK airports to move CIA
terror suspects. Amnesty International has claimed that planes refuelled in Scotland after transferring detainees to countries where they risked torture.
US denial
It said it had information about two flights in 2001 and one in 2002 where planes had landed at Prestwick after taking detainees to Jordan and Egypt. Sunday's protests are being staged by campaigners who want Scottish police to investigate the "rendition" flights. Demonstrators plan to release 176 balloons to symbolise the number of CIA flights which they believe have landed at Scottish airports.
The US has admitted that terror suspects have been flown abroad for interrogation, but denied they were tortured.
The SSP will stage a Scottish Parliament debate on the flights on Thursday.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4538444.stm