Inquiry urged for North Carolina link to torture

Legislators suspect planes used to take suspects overseas
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

RALEIGH, N.C. - State legislators are urging Attorney General Roy Cooper to investigate whether a North Carolina company provided planes to the CIA to shuttle terrorism suspects to countries where they may have been tortured.

The 22 legislators, all Democrats who signed a letter sent to Cooper and the State Bureau of Investigation, urge an investigation into "credible allegations that Aero Contractors conspired to commit federal crimes," according to a copy of the letter provided by advocacy group Stop Torture Now.

In October, SBI Director Robin Pendergraft declined a request from 12 legislators to investigate whether Aero Contractors violated federal laws prohibiting torture as a form of interrogation, saying that the matter didn't fall under SBI jurisdiction. In her response, Pendergraft said she shared the legislators' letter with the FBI.

"In short, we are deeply concerned by the SBI's unwillingness to investigate a North Carolina company's alleged involvement in a conspiracy to support the kidnap and torture of individuals," the legislators wrote. "We hope you will direct the SBI to begin an investigation of Aero Contractors' actions."

A spokeswoman for Cooper said that his office had received the letter and would review it.

Aero Contractors' ties to the CIA were reported in 2005 by CBS' 60 Minutes and The New York Times. Company officials have said that they do work for the government, but they have declined to discuss any details.

The company, which provides planes and pilots for charter flights, has leased about eight acres from the Johnston County Airport since 1979.

Fourteen protesters affiliated with Stop Torture Now were arrested there in November 2005; they were later convicted of trespassing.

The U.S. government has said little about the practice of "extraordinary rendition" - believed to be a secret CIA program of apprehending foreign terror suspects and sending them to third countries, including those that practice torture, for interrogation without court approval.

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related links
http://www.ncstoptorturenow.org/

Actions you can take:
NCSTN will continue to work until the state complies with its legal requirement. To accomplish this we need your help:

Contact Governor Easley and request that he stop the State’s hosting of torture flights: Mike Easley, Office of the Governor, 30301 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC, 27699-0301, 919/733-5811, (Fax) 919/733-2120, governor.office@ncmail.net .
Stop Torture Now Petition! Get people to sign – see www.ncpeaceaction.org
Ask members of the N.C. General Assembly to call for an SBI investigation. See www.ncleg.net for contact info for General Assembly members.
Check our website, www.ncstoptorturenow.org, and email stoptortureflights@riseup.net if you want to get news & actions through our listserve.