US Refuses to Help Poland Probe Illegal CIA Prisons

US Says It Considered Matter 'Closed'

The Obama Administration rejected efforts by the Polish government to secure Justice Department help in the probe of illegal CIA “black sites” operating in Polish territory, and allegations that the sites were used to torture detainees.

According to officials the US refused to participate in the investigation because they “consider the matter to be closed.” Polish officials denied having any knowledge of the secret CIA site but records show CIA flights heading into a seldom used military air base in northern Poland.

Evidence released in 2007 showed that the CIA operated the facility inside a Polish intelligence training school, and claimed then-Prime Minister Leszek Miller was informed but told to keep the information from Polish officials. The revelation was part of a flurry of evidence prompting investigations by Polish officials into the scheme.

President Obama formally ordered the closure of all black sites in early 2009, and also insisted that he has fully banned the use of torture. His administration’s lack of cooperation with the investigations into the crimes, however, are leaving many doubting if they are indeed a “closed” matter or just covered up in a different way.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.