Ex-Worker Says Exec Acknowledged CIA ‘Torture Flights’
Lawyers are citing the statements of an ex-employee to support their lawsuit claiming a California aviation company flew terrorism suspects to countries where they can be tortured.
The former employee says he learned about the company’s work for the Central Intelligence Agency in an unusual welcome speech from a company director, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. “We do all the extraordinary rendition flights … the torture flights,” the executive allegedly said. The ex-employee quit the company five days later.
The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the San Jose company, Jeppesen International Trip Planning, on behalf of five men who say they were flown to prisons in foreign countries in the CIA’s extraordinary rendition program. The suit claims Jeppesen, a Boeing subsidiary, violated international law by arranging at least 70 flights for the CIA.
The U.S. government is seeking to intervene in the case, arguing it should be dismissed because it could expose national secrets.
A hat tip to How Appealing, which posted the story.
