Vappala Balachandran
Ex-Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat
On April 27, 2018, a leading Indian business paper, quoting highly placed government sources, said that a secret Coast Guard operation was authorised at the highest level to intercept an unarmed yacht carrying runaway Dubai royal princess Latifa Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. This was after key national security officials felt it necessary to secure Indias counter-terrorism and strategic interests. However, new revelations in the form of secret videos released on February 16, 2021, would embarrass us further as this was apparently done without following the legal procedure.
If true, this was an unprecedented action as no such forcible rendition, as the Americans call it, was allowed by India in its history. I know personally that Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi did not oblige even his personal friend, Afghan President Mohammad Najibullah, when he requested, through secret intelligence channels, the rendition of his key aide who had deceived him and escaped to the West through India with large sums of money. That was at a time when Najibullah was helping India through a number of sensitive operations to frustrate Pakistans covert war against us.
America justifies such demands based on Article IV, Section 2 of its Constitution which requires a state to hand over such fugitives if found within its jurisdiction. Also, America has been claiming universal jurisdiction since the 19th century against piracy on the high seas, quoting a judgment in United States vs Smith (1820). This has been criticised by human rights groups as it was originally meant against slaves.
Extraordinary rendition is adopted when such fugitives are nabbed with the help of local security services in a foreign country or merely kidnapped without following the legal extradition procedure. The first such case was in 1883 when the Pinkerton Detective Agency, their oldest private detective company, kidnapped one Frederick Kerr from Peru for a Chicago court.
In 1997, the CIA abducted Mir Aimal Kansi from a Pashtun tribal area with covert Pakistani police help for shooting and killing two CIA employees in 1993 outside their office in
Langley. Kansi was executed in the US after a trial in 2002.
After 9/11, the US pressured foreign governments to agree to extraordinary rendition in which the fugitive was forcibly nabbed and sent to other countries for interrogation. Stephen Grey, author of Ghost Plane: The True Story of the CIAs Rendition & Torture Programme, says that Pakistan had handed over more than 500 persons to the CIA after 9/11.
In 2009, Sabrina De Souza, a CIA employee of Indian origin, was convicted along with 21 CIA officials in absentia by an Italian court for aiding the abduction of a 9/11 suspect of Egyptian origin, Abu Omar, from Milan, Italy, in 2003 and forcibly sending him to Egypt in a US Air Force plane where he was tortured. The European Court of Human Rights had also imposed a fine of 70,000 euros on Italy to be paid to Abu Omar and 15,000 euros to his wife.
Faced with these embarrassments, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on July 26, 2007 to discuss Extraordinary rendition, extra-territorial detention and treatment of detainees: Restoring our moral credibility and strengthening our democratic standing. Quoting the Italian case, the then Chairman Senator Joe Biden, now the US President, had said in his opening statement that the controversial rendition programme had created a toll on our relationship with some of our closest foreign policy partners as it operated outside the rule of law.
It is not anybodys case that Princess Sheikha Latifa was wanted for any crime in her home country and that we had only cooperated for rendering her to justice in the UAE. Our unprecedented March 4
operation, according to the above daily, had involved three Coast Guard ships, including the state-of-the-art offshore patrol vessels Samarth and Shoor, helicopters and a maritime surveillance aircraft to locate the United States-flagged yacht, Nostromo, some 50 km off the coast of Goa carrying Princess Latifa and her friends.
The paper had also reported that Latifa had said, at the time of
apprehension, that she was seeking to escape torture inflicted on
her and her elder sister Shamsa
by their father, United Arab Emirates Prime Minister and Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. BBCs investigative current affairs Panorama Programme said on February 17, 2021, that they were releasing videos that Latifa had secretly recorded during her captivity in Dubai.
These facts were also judicially noticed by the London High Court which issued a fact-finding judgment on December 11, 2019, describing how the victims were nabbed by the Indian Coast Guards using smoke grenades or gas, together with gunshots after spotting them from air.
The judgment corroborated Latifas allegation that armed Indian Coast Guard forces commandeered her boat on March 4, 2018, from international waters 20 nautical miles off the coast of India. After boarding, they kept her face down on the floor with her hands bound. They threatened to kill Latifa, her friend Tiina Jauhiainen and others. They physically assaulted another friend Herve Jaubert, Tiina Jauhiainen and crew members and forcibly made them return to Dubai. At Dubai, they continued to mistreat them. Tiina Jauhiainen was denied any legal aid and forced to sign a false statement. Latifa was held against her will, locked in a house and her movements tightly controlled.
Former Irish President Mary Robinson, who was the UN Human Rights Commissioner, said on February 16, 2021 that she felt horribly tricked over her involvement in this affair. She said she was invited to Dubai by a friend in December 2018 where she attended a lunch where Latifa was present. This friend was none other than Princess Haya, the Dubai rulers wife, who is also suing him in the London court.
Robinson was later blamed by human rights groups when the Dubai administration released a photo of this lunch to prove that Latifa was safe and healthy. She was originally told of Latifas bipolar disorder, which she now feels she did not have. Robinson has now joined in calls for immediate international action in order to establish Princess Latifas current whereabouts.
Read the original post:
2018 covert op that is embarrassing India - The Tribune India
- High Seas Trading Co.- Hawaiian shirts | Aloha Shirts | USA Made Clothing| - July 8th, 2022
- Romance on the High Seas (1948) - IMDb - July 8th, 2022
- High Seas and High Stakes Communications: Securing the Maritime ... - July 8th, 2022
- Review: 'The Sea Beast' is a high-seas animated adventure with surprising depth - WTOP - July 8th, 2022
- Canada hopes to lure more nations into fighting illicit fishing on the high seas - Canada's National Observer - July 8th, 2022
- Man Accused Of Killing Mother At Sea To Inherit Her Millions Seeks Pre-Trial Release - Oxygen - July 8th, 2022
- 7 new movies and shows to watch this weekend on Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV Plus and more (July 8) - Tom's Guide - July 8th, 2022
- Ubisoft finally shows us Skull and Bones, and it just makes me want to play Sea of Thieves - PC Gamer - July 8th, 2022
- Battling Mountainous Seas Powerless Bulker is Moved to Shelter - The Maritime Executive - July 8th, 2022
- The Metals Company and Allseas - GuruFocus.com - July 8th, 2022
- Taika Waititi Explains His Vision For Representation In Thor: Love And Thunder - Looper - July 8th, 2022
- PierPressure party boat hits Milford's high seas in June - CTPost - May 12th, 2022
- Cruise the Sea in These Luxury Five-Star Pods - The Market Herald - May 12th, 2022
- On the high seas with Engineers Australia's Young Engineering Associate of the Year - Create - create digital - May 12th, 2022
- Are the Great Lakes Really Inland Seas? - Atlas Obscura - April 28th, 2022
- How to Charter a Superyacht: Everything You Need to Know About Booking a High-Seas Vacation - Robb Report - April 28th, 2022
- India and the US Navigate Their Differences - Heritage.org - April 28th, 2022
- Nexxiot equips a significant share of the 3 mio TEU fleet from Hapag-Lloyd with IoT Technology - CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly - April 28th, 2022
- New Wrtsil large bore engine will debut in Utopia of the Seas - Marine Log - April 28th, 2022
- Cruising for beginners: Life on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas - bars, restaurants and activities - RSVP Live - April 28th, 2022
- New Zealand unveils plan to tackle climate crisis by adapting cities to survive rising seas - The Guardian - April 28th, 2022
- Disney On Ice presents INTO THE MAGIC | News - AussieTheatre.com - April 28th, 2022
- HOW I BECAME A PIRATE to Be Performed at The Perry Pavilion - Broadway World - April 28th, 2022
- The present and future of the Philippines-India partnership - The Manila Times - April 28th, 2022
- Joliet native serves aboard USS Hershel "Woody" Williams - 1340 WJOL - 1340 WJOL - April 28th, 2022
- Does the Sinking of the Moskva Matter and Why? - Russia Matters - April 28th, 2022
- Rescued sailor joins RNLI Mayday call as figures reveal busy year for Manx crews - rnli.org - April 28th, 2022
- International waters - Wikipedia - April 14th, 2022
- - High Seas Alliance - April 14th, 2022
- Weather forecast: Showers and rough seas - Dominican Today - April 14th, 2022
- Naval Service on the offensive to enlist more personnel - Irish Examiner - April 14th, 2022
- Meet the Iron Duke-Class: The Most Powerful Battleship of World War I? - 19FortyFive - April 14th, 2022
- Groove Cruise, The World's Largest Floating Dance Music Festival, Announces Its Upcoming Excursion Aboard Newly Remodeled and Award-Winning Ship - PR... - April 14th, 2022
- Costa Rica Directs its Efforts Towards Protecting the Ocean : - The Tico Times - April 14th, 2022
- MAIB: Crew's Comfort With Rough Weather May Have Caused Container Loss - The Maritime Executive - April 14th, 2022
- Sanctioned and Sailing Through Chinese Waters: The Case of the UN-Blacklisted Hoe Ryong - The Diplomat - April 14th, 2022
- World Sailing Speed Record Looks To Be Obliterated By The SP80 Sailboat - Boss Hunting - April 14th, 2022
- Sea Girl Carbon Theatre - The Reviews Hub - April 14th, 2022
- Hawke's Bay rain starts but less forecast than in original warnings - New Zealand Herald - April 14th, 2022
- Sailing the High Seas with Dejeros Cloud-Based Production Tools - TV Technology - October 9th, 2021
- Input wanted on changes to high seas fishing rules - The Bay's News First - SunLive - October 9th, 2021
- 9 crew of Indian vessel stranded on high seas rescued - The Statesman - October 9th, 2021
- Coast Guard rescues 9 crew members of mechanised vessal stranded in high seas - News Today - October 9th, 2021
- In Mumbai rave party bust, NCB carries out first-ever drugs search on cruise liner in high seas - Deccan Herald - October 9th, 2021
- Easy Halloween costume ideas for the continued collapse of society - Tampa Bay Times - October 9th, 2021
- What We Do In The Shadows Recap: The Siren - The Workprint - October 9th, 2021
- Trinidad and Tobago chaos over who actually owns the House of Football - Inside World Football - October 9th, 2021
- Deep seabed mining is risky. If something goes wrong, who will pay for it? - Mongabay.com - October 9th, 2021
- Students win new UH awards to protect oceans | University of Hawaii System News - UH System Current News - October 9th, 2021
- Seabed Mining: The Coast Guard's Deep Future - CIMSEC - October 9th, 2021
- SBI launches NAV-eCash Card. Check features and benefits here - Mint - October 9th, 2021
- Navigating Miocene Ocean Temperatures for Insights into the Future - Eos - October 9th, 2021
- Planning a Cruise? Here's What You Need to Know - NBC San Diego - October 9th, 2021
- National Grid in talks over plan for energy island in North Sea - The Guardian - October 9th, 2021
- A drone survives a sail into a major hurricane and "lives" to show the video - KTVZ - October 9th, 2021
- Listen closely: How sound could help improve the way we manage fisheries and conservation - Dal News - October 9th, 2021
- To solve space traffic woes, look to the high seas - MIT Technology Review - August 24th, 2021
- Who Is Going to Map the High Seas? - Hydro International - August 24th, 2021
- War on the High Seas - The Maritime Executive - August 24th, 2021
- Almost there: One more month until calmer seas, better weather - spacecityweather.com - August 24th, 2021
- Meet Rex, a Regal 417-Foot Expedition Yacht Concept With an Underwater Lounge and Helicopter Parking - Yahoo Lifestyle - August 24th, 2021
- Our first vacation fish, and other standout moments of summer 2021 | Pamelas Food Service Diary - SILive.com - August 24th, 2021
- HAWAII Hawaii County Weather Forecast for August 22, 2021 BIG ISLAND NOW - Big Island Now - August 24th, 2021
- NOAA Just Named 31 Nations That Engage in Illegal or Unregulated Fishing. Here's Why That's a Step in the Right Direction. - Earthjustice - August 24th, 2021
- Henri likely to bring rough seas to the south, possibly heavy rainfall in northern Delaware - delawarebusinessnow.com - August 24th, 2021
- Gather Round Mateys, These Arrrrre The Best Pirate Movies To Watch Right Now - Yahoo Lifestyle - August 24th, 2021
- You have what you voted for - Santa Barbara News-Press - August 24th, 2021
- Annette and a truly weird summer at the movies - Vox.com - August 24th, 2021
- As Henri Nears US Coast, Threat to Long Island Increases - East Hampton Star - August 24th, 2021
- Indias Highway Construction Is in the Fast Lane - Fair Observer - August 24th, 2021
- The Fiji Times Skipper's legacy A lover of the sea - Fiji Times - August 24th, 2021
- Chubut imposes strict measures on shrimp landings to protect the fishery - MercoPress - August 24th, 2021
- Jellyfish Found in Greece are the Least Dangerous of All - Greek Reporter - August 24th, 2021
- Indian Ocean: The maritime links of India-Malaysia - Hindustan Times - August 24th, 2021
- Shark Experts Agree, These Are The 5 Best Dive Sites In The World - Forbes - August 24th, 2021
- North Vancouver RCMP remind boaters of rules on the water during education blitz - North Shore News - August 24th, 2021
- Salinity Measurements of the Adriatic Sea Record an Unprecedented Increase - Total Croatia News - August 24th, 2021
- China and the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean - The Diplomat - June 10th, 2021
- Africa must protect the high seas before its too late - Mail and Guardian - June 10th, 2021
- Bringing the High Seas Biodiversity Treaty Into Port - Council on Foreign Relations - June 10th, 2021