allegations they've been violating human rights coming your way in our interview. well today we're joined by mr thomas have harbored european commissioner for human rights talking to us from a star wars thanks very much mr however for joining us now let's get right to where well we know that there were cia prisons in europe and people were tortured and then now you're pushing for the truth what more should be know there is a lot more to know in fact because we haven't had a full account for what really happened and who took the decisions and on what grounds when these black sites were established on european soil of the things that we still have to know what do you think is most important i think we have to learn from history and unfortunately during this period of ten years very serious human rights violations for committed and we have an atmosphere of impunity when it comes to these violations of human rights i think the truce has to come out

on board really happened who took the decisions who allowed the establishment of these secret places of detention and thereby allowing torture to take place now this is a story came to light i mean there have been some governments ordering investigations will they found very little so far do you think it's possible that they're deliberately trying to play it down and if so is there any proof of them doing so well there is an enormous pressure from washington to keep all this secret in fact instructions from from c. with the support of the way towse not to give any facts on this so therefore it's not easy to investigate but i think that some of the european governments have been involved they have to decide whether they think that the cooperation between the security agencies are more important than to look into human rights violations and break the spirit of impunity ok well we're talking here about european

officials authorizing these rendition sites but what about those who. actually masterminded them those who were directly involved do you think say officials will ever be held accountable for their actions unfortunately it's not likely but if the european governments involved could take this step to really put out everything they know and publish that it may start a process in united states where the accountability also there is established but why is it not likely you say this if it's not likely because this is there is an atmosphere of security confidentiality around this. notion that when it comes to the activities over security agency the truth should not be told to the public and i think that is a real problem because here we have had cooperation between the united states security agency and european agencies under which human rights violations were seriously seriously violated and it is very important that we know when we

know the violations were made that we establish that there should be democratic control of the security agencies activities well there are claims that the u.s. and the u.k. set prisoners to be tortured in libya to the gadhafi regime does that seem likely to you yes it's very likely and it fits a pattern and also they are now documents being discovered in tripoli which show that this actually did happen ok and you've seen a proof of such things happening yourself no not myself but there have been reports last week from human rights watch showing that there was such a tip it is and typically it's not made subject for comment from the cia in washington because they have the policy of never make and the public comments on such revelations that the commander of the rebel forces that's. shipley he demanded

an apology from western powers over here. is a legend in two thousand and four and i legibly he was arrested in bangkok and headed to gadhafi forces for torture now how do you think they're going to explain their alleged a murky deals with gadhafi to the rebels because now they're essentially on the same side. i think that question has to be given to to washington there is an explanation to be given there but he was obviously one of those who were picked up during this so-called war on terror he was in tandem or that's shown and he was obviously one of those badly treated and i think he and others. an apology some of them who were brought there to got on a more or to the secret places of detention or to partner countries of the united states in this where they were tortured they were not probably not innocent but still even people who are on good ground suspected they have the right to

certain protection when it comes to human rights including not to be tortured now the rebels are now in control and foreigners are reportedly in danger especially black africans because while there have been accusations of them being cut off these mercenaries how do you think this will affect the building of a democratic society in libya i'm not an expert on only my focus is on europe but obviously there is a problem there and human rights organizations have already reported about problems when it comes to how rebels have dealt with africans who have been accused to being most news for folks we could just do best in order to ensure that those people are well treated some of them of course may well be genuine refugees from other parts of africa who were trying to reach europe past via libya and got stuck there and i think it's very important that also european governments deal with refugees from libya coming from other parts of africa in line with the international standards

when it comes to its side. refugee policies well looking at the humanitarian crisis now in libya that has been reported what do you think is the area that needs the most attention at the moment and how are they going to going to go about solving these humanitarian problems i mean this is very general can we break them down you're first of all it is important to establish security in the country so that the normal life could start again secondly to build democracy because there was no democracy there which is very difficult challenge and i hope that there could be a generous approach from from europe to share the experiences we have when it comes to the steps to be taken in order to build institutions democratic ones and to allow for. genuine willow people to be channeled into political decision making ok well going back to what you're an expert on those black sites what do you think is the next step now that the story has come out into the public in poland they

have already started through the prosecutor and investigation and i think it's very important that his work is protected and that there is no attempt to slow down his work because he's sensitive in nation safe with the united states in in romania their work hasn't really started there was one investigation by a political group from the senate but the prosecutor has not started an investigation and i really hope that the office will now take the initiative and start and rushing the situation and come up with a report now you're saying it's important that the investigation is not block it earlier you were expressing your concerns that there could be directives from higher up to to not give enough information how do you go about going about that hurdle knowing you're dealing with governments here is very difficult because of this notion that activities by the security agencies and their cooperation between themselves should be kept secret at all cost i think that is really the notion that

we. we have now to start discussing because so many human rights violations have been committed under that notion and the time has come to establish a democratic control of the security agencies they should not be allowed to take action which violate basic human rights yes should not be but do you think that just let's just look at concrete actions we're talking about what is right what is wrong from your point of view but concrete actions i'm just wondering really legally speaking will it be possible to get all of the truth out i think it will be very difficult unfortunately but i hope that the discussion that may come now with encourage some of the politicians to take brave steps and a better position when it comes to this because it's not acceptable that we have states within the states who are run on undemocratic basis and violating human rights the security agencies must be put under democratic control and they are not

for the moment in my opinion well you said you're using the tenth anniversary of nine eleven to raise the issue of cia black sites so why is that because. you know. i think that the first priority of course is to pay respect to the victims of the attack on the united states ten years ago but then we also have a to same time to look at how did the u.s. government and european government respond to this attack and unfortunately i think there's a lot of lessons to be learned from how this war on terror so-called war on terror was conducted which allowed for very serious human rights violations which unfortunately also had the effect that terrorism has spread the militant groups have increased. the number of people killed and many of them innocent doing those ten years they also deserve some respect in this situation and

therefore i think it's absolutely important that. the way we handled this gruesome attack will be an honest discussion so that we don't repeat this in the future and speaking of the militant groups you just released a report based on your visit to russia's north caucuses which is of course a region that marred by sporadic violence by terrorists how do you assess the struggle against the terrorists over there the struggle is still going on there have been some positive initiatives taken a lot of money has been put on budgets in order to improve the standard of living in the area. there is a focus more on the social dimension of this the roots for terrorism which i think is very positive but unfortunately there is still also a problem of impunity that the crimes which have been committed including by law enforcement forces have not been satisfactorily addressed and people guilty

responsible have not been brought to justice so there is still a need to do more when it comes to that aspect all right well thank you very much effort your time mr thomas howard berg human rights commissioner of the council of europe thank you you thank . you're is when you look for nuclear winter against. blond discipline measured in barrels. when your brain is most. when you have no idea.

sports team perishes and a country mourns after wednesday's plane crash near the city of jaroslav kills forty three including members of one of russia's top ice hockey teams progeny also

touches other nations as players from many countries were on board on our way to belarus for the first match of this in. twenty years behind bars a russian pilot arrested any us sting operation in liberia said and sentenced for conspiring to smuggle drugs constantini or shango insists on his innocence while moscow previously accused the us of conducting an illegal arrest and rendition. the british government under fire first stopping an inquest into the death of weapons expert david kelly who insisted iraq never had weapons of mass destruction social cause of the death of suicide again being questioned by doctors in. full news coming your way in fifteen minutes sports is next with anger. hello there thanks for watching the sport and these are the headlines tributes

pouring in from around the world calling the locomotive a disaster which killed thirty seven ice hockey star. plus moscow will appeal against right developed and six game ban for a challenge on t iscar keeper eagle action fear. and the washout at the u.s. open is rain holds play for a second day flushing meadows. but first the start of the new k h l season has been perspiring indefinitely following the tragic air crash which killed practically the whole of the locomotive yaroslav all ice hockey team thirty seven players are among the forty three people who died when the plane came down just after takeoff only one place survived russian alexander gleam of but he's in a serious condition with ninety percent burns this morning chief decided to cancel all games until further notice locomotives were heading to mince to play their season opener when their plane came down just outside the aristotle shortly after takeoff yesterday the russian built yak forty two crashing into the river volga two

hundred fifty kilometers northeast of moscow those that died included russia play even picture and twenty two year old daughter you're the chair of czech stars your fish are subject and your magic and carol ruff generic were also among the dead along with swedish goalie stefan leaf and slovakia's pavel demitra yesterday's game between to tell about you live in atlanta was abandoned midway through when the news came through fans and players stunned by what had happened ice hockey stars from the k h l and america's n.h.l. have been leading the tributes. said the knowledge history about him not on me like it's old country and a lot of my friends were in the play and then you guys have played together a couple of years ago and the closest one just just wanted to give my condolences to the families and the mental state stuff for everybody but it's actually awful for me a sad event of a very difficult summer for an hour for hockey fires in the hockey world and to suffer losses and now. you know

a lot of these guys. you played against syria know you fight with them in a certain point. and it affects everybody it's a big family everyone knows each other and i know someone. you know in this league or in the sport worldwide so i mean whether they're hockey players or not that's a huge tragedy and it's awful to see so. you know it's a. consequence of those people whose family. now in football spot at moscow say they will appeal against a six game ban handed to their star striker velux and he was given the punishment after this tackle on to scar you go i can feel it himself and need ligament damage and will be at the six months that means achrafieh have missed the rest of the domestic season as well as his country's you're a twenty twelve qualifying campaign pellets and says the tafel was not malicious and believes he's been harshly treated by the russian football you two years ago ballot and was involved in a similar clash with the nomic a providing

a couple of suffered a broken nose. let's turn to the u.s. open where rain has affected play for a second day there at the women's quarter final between serena williams and it is a public cenk of a failed to get started while defending champion rafael nadal was trying by three games to love in the first set of his fourth round match against luxembourg juve one player who stopped also failing to complete their matches where andy roddick along with andy murray thought it was wrong they were asked to play at all. i mean everyone's everyone's pretty relaxed about it no it's just what we were on to the core it was still raining in the back of the core was the bowls were really what. everyone to our sports mentioned. to be on par and they were just. fine but it doesn't really make sense to just try to get there for like seven or eight minutes another hour to come back inside so that's kind of why everyone was a little bit disappointed and i don't think though when we get. now the rugby world

cup finally gets underway on friday with the hosts new zealand taking on top the pressure is firmly on the all blacks who haven't won the tournament since nine hundred eighty seven despite regularly being ranked as the world's best side richer than paul three caught up with former new zealand captain sean fitzpatrick he says this side is capable of winning the sport's biggest crown for the first time in twenty four years. very excited it's been three or four years since we've known way of we've won the rights to the world cup and you don't count why it was not nearly seven the last time we had up there and i know what's changed in new zealand something you know as a nation. four million people talk about a stadium of four million people and looking forward to welcoming the rugby world and you think a passable capsulize it up until you will think all the world cups the world cup set up into that of being gracious. the nice things that have really taken on board what a rugby world cup has got behind them and. i love the rugby and i'm sure the. drive

is a bad product you know in terms of what we can offer as a national party has been twenty four years of so far i've you know twenty eight years of. probably every spoken couple of months early i think there's even one male on favorites to defeat to south africa just last weekend straight to me slightly different is this spate of boring going on at moments in the rounds but never saw obviously he said twenty four years since we last won the world cup there's a little monkey on the back we need to get rid of and new zealand as a team have done very well in the last three three years preparing for this world cup but a force in the last couple of games we've had a bit of a blip but in doing that hopefully it's it's you know by them realise that you know it's not going to be as easy as some people think and it's a bit of a reality check for us to those fans and media that you know will collapse you know very very difficult job and for new zealand they've got to play. every guy i'm like

it's like the world cup final so you could be a blessing in disguise almost just just to get expectations down a little because i mean in new zealand a few months ago just on the front you know i think you know i think in terms of the new zealand australia with such ease at the start of a good try and i should say maybe also a thought that's that will happen i got and australia came out and really what we're going to look to the all blacks. have compared to some of the bright demos and if you don't deny that right down. more often than not the team that dumb nice bright down the in the game and i showed that had a messianic game with three four weeks earlier mccord put them away. the bright going to score a show and this rubbish i wouldn't try the world. did against australia you know. that anything is possible if you if you play well we can solve it if i'm wrong you see inside europe and you well you know i think obviously injuries and that's with with the teams that injuries is

a concern and we saw that with the withdrawing kind of kind of not plying adam thompson having applying not helping one hundred percent upset the balance of the team and that's why what combinations aside bottle injuries is a concern for graham henry care a great thing and just as a this is a problem but he'll be back by quarter final time and but in doing that because somebody has an opportunity in that debate i took his opportunity really well against a study last week hopefully we've got to cover the eyes was a dress. now if i mean the modern pentathlon world championships get underway in moscow today among other things preparing for the told is alexander the soon he let me join the russian taking three years ago constantly to top off as the story. russia has always been a powerhouse in the manse more than pentathlon three gold medals from the last three olympics is the best evidence of the team's dominance and because of the

depth of the nation still and the russians could field several teams in their own right and it will be a tough challenge for the coaches to choose the two athletes that will compete at the london olympics in twenty twelve. bidder she said there were several you know the work that we managed to save the training camps for some time after the soviet union collapsed we've invested one half million dollars in developing this campus and now it's one of the best in the world so we've also got a powerful squad the problem is that only two of our athletes can compete in the lympics so we have very tight competition in the national team. and three years ago the russian team also acquired an unexpected reinforcement nowadays it's quite common for athletes to change their citizenship in order to get in a bridge to nitty to take part in big competitions but alexandr listen story is something completely different the twenty three year old was born in belarus and got into sport by learning to swim when he was six but at the age of twenty one his

life took a sudden change waterless that's the. gordon of the bell as team coach fell out with my former coach and the national coach wanted to get rid of me so you may know before a diagnosis of heart disease and told me i was unsuitable for professional sport but there was a whole thing to him and i was the third i quit sports and got a job this is going to get out however luckily russia see how plan of invited me to their training camp them with and made several examinations that prove i'm fully fit to compete so i see it here in russia fortunately listen got back into this. worked less than a year after he had quit and since then he has won the russian championship twice was a runner up at the world championship last year and tops the world rankings this season and the belorussian leads a very strong team that includes two world champions. and double olympic champion andre me see it is there will always assume that that is all that i worried so much

when i got back to training alex a two time olympic champion i've seen my save and wondered how can i become such a legendary athlete the level seem to be unreachable for me but i sold it to train with the team and the guys showed me how health a battle is hard to train every fencing touch every second game in swimming in running every faultless right every accurate shot can make the difference between those athletes battling for a place at the olympic games out of the blue a bill russian has added more competition to the russian team while russia have gained and their fleet who looks set to dominate in many a future and could be a strong contender for them at the olympic games in london in twenty two well his name but up of all richie. good luck to them that is this both about the weather coming up next.

a sports team perishes and a country mourns while the tragedy of the air disaster hitting one of russia's top ice hockey teams is felt around the world. twenty years behind bars

a russian pilot arrested in a u.s. sting operation in liberia sentenced for conspiring to smuggle drugs and moscow says his arrest and rendition were illegal. and the british government under fire for stopping an inquest into the death of weapons expert david kelly who insisted iraq never had weapons of mass destruction cause of death of suicide being questioned by doctors. one pm in moscow good to have you with us here on r t our top story it's been described as ice hockey darkest day the worst disaster affecting sports in russia's recent history forty three people confirmed dead after a plane carrying one of the country's top teams locomotive jaroslav crashed just after takeoff only two survivors.