Civilian firm sued over renditions

WASHINGTON, May 30 (UPI) -- The American Civil Liberties Union is filing a lawsuit charging a Boeing subsidiary helped the CIA in the rendition of detainees who were then tortured.

The ACLU asserts in the suit being filed Wednesday that Jeppesen International Trip Planning of San Jose, Calif., has been a main provider of flight and logistical support services for aircraft used by the CIA in the U.S. government's extraordinary rendition program. It singles out three detainees in particular, all of whom they allege were tortured after a flight facilitated by Jeppesen.

Jeppesen spokesman Mike Pound would not confirm whether the company has a contract with the CIA. He told UPI the company has "thousands of customers," all of whom expect confidentiality.

Jeppesen does not provide air crew or planes. It provides flight information and travel services, including routes, fuel information, location and arrangements for refueling, arrangements for ground crews to service the planes at airfields, and arrangements for food and hotels for the aircrews.

"We provide info services to people operating air services," Pound told UPI Wednesday.

Jeppesen can also arrange for overflight rights for aircraft with governments.

The ACLU alleges Jeppesen obtained overflight rights for planes that secretly transported detainees Binyam Mohamed, Abou Elkassim Britel and Ahmed Agiza to overseas locations in Morocco and Afghanistan and at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.

Civilian aircraft do not need overflight permission. However, aircraft flying on government missions do, according to the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation.

The ACLU maintains that since December 2001, Jeppesen has provided flight and logistical support to at least 15 aircraft that have made a total of 70 rendition flights.

Torture is prohibited by international law, and member countries are prohibited from transferring detainees to countries where there is a reasonable risk they could be tortured.

"American corporations should not be profiting from a CIA rendition program that is unlawful and contrary to core American values," said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU. "Corporations that choose to participate in such activity can and should be held legally accountable."