Peace activists to protest GTP's Aero Contractors
Group claims Aero is CIA shadow company
Staff and wire reports
Posted: 11:59 PM EST Tuesday January 03, 2006
A coalition of about two dozen activist calling themselves "Stop Torture Now" plan to deliver Friday afternoon what they describe as an "indictment" to Aero Contractors Ltd, a tenant at Kinston's Global TransPark, a state-subsidized transportation and manufacturing park.
Spokesman for the coalition, Patrick O'Neill of Gardner, said the indictment charges Aero Contractors with "engaging in the practice of extraordinary rendition, an illegal procedure where uncharged criminal suspects and other persons of interest are abducted, blindfolded, shackled, sedated, and transported by private jet to a destination country for interrogation under
circumstances where there is a substantial likelihood that the suspects may be in danger of torture."
O'Neill said Aero aircraft were linked to the rendition program by "plane spotters" recording aircraft numbers in Europe and the United States.
Aero, based in Smithfield at the Johnston County Airport since 1979, bills itself as an aircraft charter company. The airport opened in 1978. According to the Associated Press, Aero's employees who have mostly military aviation backgrounds, include mechanics, avionics repairmen and pilots. O'Neill claims that because the Johnston County airport runways are too short for it to take off, Aero's 737 jet is primarily based and operating out of Kinston.
Jennifer G. Brezina, Global TransPark's marketing and communications director, told the Raleigh News and Observer in December, "It's our policy not to comment on the business dealings of any of our tenants."
O'Neill said the "indictment" was drawn up and sponsored by the Center for Theology and Social Analysis, a peace activist organization headquartered in St. Louis, Mo. He said the CIA's assertion that today's war on terrorism "justifies new rules" on the handling of suspects actually means "no rules."
On Nov. 18, members of "Stop Torture Now" from St. Louis, North Carolina, and Chicago entered the property of Aero Contractors near Smithfield, attempting to deliver their indictment. Fourteen of the protestors were arrested outside Aero offices and charged with trespassing. O'Neill, one of the protestors arrested in Smithfield, said that other members of the group continued the protest by holding signs along U.S. 70 during rush-hour traffic to alert commuters to Aero's activities.
He said copies of the "indictment" were delivered to officials of Johnston County and the Johnston County Airport Commission.
O'Neill said his group will follow the same plan of action in Lenoir County. |
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