Secret CIA Prison Investigation In Poland Extended

Secret prisons ran by the CIA have been at the center of a five year investigation by Polish authorities which was extended by prosecutors Tuesday.

Following the September 11 terror attacks and the start of the United States’ “War on Terror,” the policy of aggressively capturing individuals affiliated with Al Qaeda and taking them to undisclosed prisons became standard practice.

US officials have openly confirmed that there is a network of undisclosed prisons, sometimes referred to as “black sites,” outside of US soil. Guantanamo, which has gained a great deal of attention since its creation, is the best known example of such a prison.

Many countries have been speculated to play host to the CIA secret prisons, however Poland has been one of the few to open formal investigations into the issue, prompted after two men came forward to claim they were held in a black site on Polish soil.

The two men, Saudi-born Abu Zubaydah and Saudi national Adb al-Rahim al-Nashiri, have been reported to make claims of CIA abduction and imprisonment.

A third man, Yemeni national Walid Bin Attash, has also been alleged to be held in a CIA prison in Poland, after prosecutors added Attash to the list of victims in the case Tuesday.

The investigation has been on-going for the last five years and some have accused officials for stalling the prosecution. Polish officials, however, have completely denied the existence of any secret prisons in the nation.

Amnesty International released a report Wednesday asking the Polish government to relax pressure on investigators and to follow through with holding those involved with authorizing the illegal CIA site legally responsible.

Says Amnesty campaigner Julia Hall:

“[We are] quite concerned about the numerous delays in the investigation, and, now that the investigation is over five-years-old, the possible reasons for those delays.”

Whether or not prosecutors will be successful in forming a case by October remains to be seen, however the evidence is mounting that Poland indeed has or had a CIA secret prison on their soil.

[Image via ShutterStock]