HELSINKI, Finland, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- A human rights groups says Finnish authorities should examine newly released data to determine whether U.S. rendition flights landed in the country.
The Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs said last week there were about 150 landings in Finland by aircraft connected to the CIA's rendition and secret detention programs, but said they were only seeking clarification from the United States on one flight.
The ministry said it considered all but one of the flights in the data set were "civilian" in nature and therefore not connected to unlawful activity by the United States.
Amnesty International has urged the Finnish authorities to investigate further.
"While it is welcome that Finland has published the data, this is only a first step," Julia Hall, the group's expert on counter-terrorism and human rights, said in an Amnesty International release Tuesday.
"The material raises more questions than it answers and provides ample reason for further investigation," she said. "Finland has a legal obligation to do so since we know that many of those subjected to rendition were tortured and otherwise ill-treated.
"The Finnish government's distinction between 'civilian' and 'state' aircraft in the rendition context is a patently false one," Hall said.
