Some Remarks on Poland’s Potential Responsibility for the Treatment of Detainees in a CIA Prison in Poland

Secret detentions, renditions, torture and other forms of cruel treatment cannot be considered as humane treatment in any situation. A State that performs such acts can obviously be held responsible, as can any other States which aid, assist, facilitate, and offer their airports or prisons. All these violations of international law were connected with the American and European counter-terrorism actions in the context of their “global war on terror”. Detaining prisoners without the consent of a competent court, without informing their families, interrogating them, torturing them and other examples of using “enhanced techniques” amount to a violation of international law and can lead to either the legal responsibility of the state, the criminal responsibility of state officials, or both. This article analyzes the scope of Poland’s potential responsibility for violations of both international and domestic law connected with the question of the detainment of American secret prisoners on Polish soil.