Merkel Rejects CIA Secret Prisons as Incompatible With Rule of Law

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday condemned the CIA's use of covert overseas detention facilities, one day after US President George W. Bush publicly acknowledged their existence for the first time. Merkel said such prisons conflict with her understanding of the rule of law and insisted that counterterrorism efforts must not compromise core democratic principles.

Despite her criticism, Merkel praised Bush for finally addressing the issue openly. The two leaders have maintained a close working relationship since she succeeded Gerhard Schroeder in 2005.

German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, a fellow member of the conservative CDU, echoed Merkel's concerns. He called the detention of terrorism suspects outside US judicial oversight, including at Guantanamo, "highly questionable," and stressed that a ban on torture must be absolute with no exceptions.

Schaeuble separately denied that any secret CIA detention sites exist on German soil. Bush's Friday admission came after numerous governments had previously denied hosting such facilities.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.