The European Parliament has agreed to set up a probe into allegations the CIA used European countries to secretly transport and detain terrorism suspects.
Lawmakers voted on setting up the investigation Thursday. They also issued a resolution expressing deep concern about allegations that the CIA's illegally abducted and tortured terror suspects.
The Council of Europe is currently probing the issues. Earlier this week, a Swiss senator Dick Marty told the body that there appears to be evidence that the CIA abducted people in Europe and transferred them between countries illegally.
And the human rights group Amnesty International has published flight information it says shows that Britain allowed CIA planes carrying terrorism suspects to refuel on British territory. The British government has said it has no evidence that the CIA transported such suspects through British airports.
The issue dominated much of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's European tour last week. Ms. Rice did not confirm or deny the existence of the prisons, but she said the United Nations Convention Against Torture applies to U.S. personnel both at home and abroad.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.