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RES-2018-082 2 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF <br /> CAMPAIGN TO MAKE NORTH CAROLINA A NO-TORTURE STATE <br /> WHEREAS, the non-governmental North Carolina Commission of Inquiry on Torture (NCCIT, <br /> www.nccit.org) was established to examine the role of North Carolina in the United States' secret, <br /> global torture program launched soon after September 11, 2001; and <br /> WHEREAS, the volunteer led NCCIT has conducted an inquiry into the use of public airports by the CIA <br /> to facilitate torture and learned that Aero Contractors, a CIA affiliated company, transported at least <br /> 49 people for torture, many of them innocent of any terrorist ties; and <br /> WHEREAS, Aero Contractors is headquartered at the Johnston County Airport in Smithfield, NC , and <br /> also used the state-run Global TransPark in Kinston for "torture taxi" flights; and <br /> WHEREAS, North Carolina residents have been calling since 2005 for investigation of Aero Contractors, <br /> and support has come from people of faith, veterans, elected officials, civic groups, labor, various <br /> political parties, and members of different racial and ethnic groups; and <br /> WHEREAS. 10 NCCIT Commissioners — a diverse, blue-ribbon panel of distinguished individuals — heard <br /> testimony from 20 witnesses (survivors, journalists, human rights experts) on November 30 and <br /> December 1, 2017, in Raleigh; and <br /> WHEREAS, Governor Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein are expected to respond to the 84- <br /> page NCCIT Report (NCTorture Report.org) since its release on September 27, 2018; and <br /> WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Commissioners adopted the RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE <br /> NORTH CAROLINA COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON TORTURE (RES-2016-08) in December 2016; <br /> NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, do hereby <br /> urge Governor Cooper and Attorney General Stein to hold private contractors such as Aero Contractors <br /> accountable for involvement in the torture program; to enforce state, federal, and international law; <br /> and to stop hosting Aero at public airports to prevent North Carolina from being the home to "torture <br /> taxis." <br /> This the 11th day of December 2018. <br /> Penny Rich, Chair <br /> Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />