US refuses to co-operate in probe over alleged CIA secret prisons

The US is refusing to help Poland investigate claims of a secret CIA prison, which allegedly operated in the country between 2003 and 2005.

­Warsaw prosecutors have spent the past two years looking into the supposed hidden facilities.

Washington's refusal to help was reported by a Polish news agency just days after a Palestinian terror suspect claimed he had been secretly shipped to the country and tortured in one of the prisons.

The US Department of Justice informed Warsaw that they would not provide legal assistance in this case since it may endanger national security and state interests. However, the request is classified, as well as the investigation.

The refusal by the American authorities does not definitely mean that the investigation in Poland will not lead to an explanation of this issue, believes Irmina Pacho, the co-ordinator of the Helsinki Human Rights Court's CIA observation program.

“It all depends on the materials gathered by the prosecutor, which may include serious proof and evidence,” she said. 

According to international reports, and information well-known in the public domain, it is not only Poland that hosted a secret prison, but also Romania and Lithuania, added Pacho.

“There is definitely a need to conduct investigations in this matter in Europe, since as the events in 2010 show, the American courts are willing to close their door to victims of the problem,” she told RT.