by talos
Sat Dec 31st, 2005 at 03:38:36 AM EST
From the front page, with slight edits ~ whataboutbob/DoDo
Update [2005-12-29 8:43:56 by talos]: It seems that the story has finally produced some reaction in Britain:
"Claims that an MI6 officer took part in the abduction and torture of 28 Pakistani terror suspects in Greece must be investigated, Lib Dems say...
...Foreign affairs spokesman Sir Menzies Campbell called for an intelligence and security committee (ISC) inquiry.
Sir Menzies told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I believe the appropriate course now would be for the intelligence and security committee of Parliament to investigate these matters.
"I think it is necessary for public confidence and also to get to the bottom of what are serious allegations for some further investigation to be carried out..."
I've been following here on the European Tribune the saga of this summer's abductions of Pakistani immigrants in Athens by "unknown captors" (
1,
2).
The story just got
a turn towards the more interesting which is why I'm posting a third diary instead of updating the last one...
On Christmas day the Athens Weekly "Proto Thema" published a list of Greek Secret Service operatives involved in the abduction as well as the name of a British agent described as the MI6's stationmaster in Athens (who was possibly in command of the whole operation). The newspaper is a rather sleazy/muckraking tabloid with connections however to a lot of people in high places. The leak probably came from within the secret services - and the veracity of the story is strengthened by the Greek Government's and the Greek Intelligence Service's panicked reactions.
It is interesting that no other Greek newspaper that I know of - and certainly no British or International publication on the web has published the MI6 agent's name - pointing to a gag order. That name and more below the fold.
THE Government tried last night to block the naming of an MI6 officer alleged to have orchestrated the torture of terrorist suspects in Greece.
It issued a warning to media organisations after a leading Athens newspaper identified the British intelligence officer and 15 Greek agents, alleging that they took part in the arrest and abuse of 28 Pakistan-born detainees who were held in connection with the July 7 bombings in London.
The disclosures sparked a row in Athens, with opposition leaders and human rights groups demanding to know why British agents were allowed to operate in Greece... [from the Times]
The MI6 agent, (whose name I won't post unless someone in the ET gives me the go-ahead, given the agency's rather aggressive methods in previous outings), a guy called Nicholas John Andrew Langman, who was also implicated in the various Diana-related MI6-scenarios, and exposed publicly in 1989 and 1999, was thus already compromised, I'd figure, so I don't understand why such a fuss.
Anyway, the Greek government has a whole load of problems with this right now as the public prosecutors' office is stating that the complaints are "absolutely valid" and is preparing to call the named Greek Intelligence officers to testify. This is something that the Intelligence Service (EYP) has already stated that it will not allow its employees to do, on grounds of "national interest". The lawyer of the abducted immigrants, however, is preparing to sue the named EYP officers. This will make not appearing in court difficult for the agents accused.
The conservative government is already suggesting that it was Socialist party sympathizers inside EYP who leaked the story for political gains (or disgruntled officers skipped on the promotion lists) and insists that there is nothing to it, a position that is getting harder to defend with each passing day.
[cross-posted with slight variations at histologion]
