Extraordinary Rendition ― Addressing the Challenges of Accountability

The US led programme of extraordinary rendition created profound challenges for the international system of human rights protection and rule of law. This book examines the efforts of authorities in Europe and the US to re-establish rule of law and respect for human rights through the investigation of the program and its outcomes.

The contributions to this volume examine the supranational and national inquiries into the US CIA-led extraordinary rendition and secret detention programme in Europe. The book takes as a starting point two recent and far-reaching developments in delivering accountability and establishing the truth: First, the publication of the executive summary of the US Senate Intelligence Committee (Feinstein) Report, and second, various European Court of Human Rights judgments regarding European Union Member States’ complicity with the CIA and their incompatibility with the European Convention of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR).

The collective volume provides the first stock-taking review of the state of affairs in the quest for accountability in the EU, and identifies significant obstacles to further accountability in a selection of EU member states under investigation. It will be vital reading for students and scholars in a wide range of areas, including international relations, international law, public policy and counter-terrorism studies.

Didier Bigo is Professor of International Relations (and Maitre de conferences des universites) at Sciences-Po Paris, and Researcher at CERI/FNSP. Bigo is also Professor at Kings College London.

Elspeth Guild is a Jean-Monnet Professor of European migration law at the Radboud University Nijmegen (The Netherlands). She is also Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels and a partner at the London law firm Kingsley Napley.

Mark Gibney is an Affiliated Scholar at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute.