Council of Europe: SG proposes standards to protect against renditions and secret detentions

On 7 September, Secretary General (SG) of the Council of Europe (CoE) Terry Davis, made public his proposals based on his inquiry into the alleged secret detention and renditions of terrorist suspects by the CIA. The proposals include the drafting of minimum standards to prevent human rights abuses by security services, in particular allied foreign security services active on the territory of a CoE member state, the setting up of mechanisms to enforce existing human rights obligations with respect to transiting aircraft, and the drafting of a legal instrument permitting states to waive diplomatic immunity in cases of serious human rights violations.