Human Rights watchdog Council of Europe again accused intelligence agencies of several European nations to have colluded with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the illegal detention and transfer of terror suspects in or across the continent. The report cited Sweden, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Britain, Italy, Macedonia, Germany and Turkey as “responsible, at varying degrees for violations of the rights of specific persons”.

CoE told its Parliamentary Assembly that that “It has been proved that agents from national intelligence services colluded in the handing over and the transportation of persons suspected of terrorism.” On June 7, CoE had accused 14 European countries of this crime while seven other countries (Poland, Romania, Spain, Cyprus, Ireland, Portugal and Greece) “could be held responsible for collusion — active or passive.”

Council of Europe has called for a resolution that asks for effective measures to combat terrorism but maintaining respect for human rights.

The US has already criticized the CoE report as a list of unproven allegations. Faced with increasingly harsh criticism of its methods by allies, non-government organizations  and after the suicide deaths of detainees at the Guantanamo Center, the US has promised to respect human rights.