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9 <br /> 1 WHEREAS, the non-governmental North Carolina Commission of Inquiry on Torture (NCCIT, <br /> 2 www.nccit.org) was established to examine the role of North Carolina in the United States' <br /> 3 secret, global torture program launched soon after September 11, 2001; and <br /> 4 <br /> 5 WHEREAS, the volunteer led NCCIT has conducted an inquiry into the use of public airports by <br /> 6 the CIA to facilitate torture and learned that Aero Contractors, a CIA affiliated company, <br /> 7 transported at least 49 people for torture, many of them innocent of any terrorist ties; and <br /> 8 <br /> 9 WHEREAS, Aero Contractors is headquartered at the Johnston County Airport in Smithfield, <br /> 10 NC, and also used the state-run Global TransPark in Kinston for "torture taxi" flights; and <br /> 11 <br /> 12 WHEREAS, North Carolina residents have been calling since 2005 for investigation of Aero <br /> 13 Contractors, and support has come from people of faith, veterans, elected officials, civic <br /> 14 groups, labor, various political parties, and members of different racial and ethnic groups; and <br /> 15 <br /> 16 WHEREAS. 10 NCCIT Commissioners — a diverse, blue-ribbon panel of distinguished <br /> 17 individuals — heard testimony from 20 witnesses (survivors, journalists, human rights experts) <br /> 18 on November 30 and December 1, 2017, in Raleigh; and <br /> 19 <br /> 20 WHEREAS, Governor Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein are expected to respond to <br /> 21 the 84-page NCCIT Report (NCTorture Report.org) since its release on September 27, 2018; <br /> 22 and <br /> 23 <br /> 24 WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Commissioners adopted the RESOLUTION IN <br /> 25 SUPPORT OF THE NORTH CAROLINA COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON TORTURE (RES- <br /> 26 2016-08) in December 2016; <br /> 27 <br /> 28 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, <br /> 29 do hereby urge Governor Cooper and Attorney General Stein to hold private contractors such <br /> 30 as Aero Contractors accountable for involvement in the torture program; to enforce state, <br /> 31 federal, and international law; and to stop hosting Aero at public airports to prevent North <br /> 32 Carolina from being the home to "torture taxis." <br /> 33 <br /> 34 This, the 18th day of December 2018. <br /> 35 <br /> 36 A motion was made by Commissioner Greene, seconded by Commissioner Price for the <br /> 37 Board to approve and authorize the Chair to sign the resolution. <br /> 38 <br /> 39 Commissioner McKee referred to "NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the <br /> 40 Orange County Board of Commissioners, do hereby urge Governor Cooper and Attorney <br /> 41 General Stein to hold private contractors such as Aero Contractors accountable for involvement <br /> 42 in the torture program," and asked John Roberts if this could be explained. <br /> 43 John Roberts said the language means what it says, and he would have to research <br /> 44 further into existing laws that may apply. <br /> 45 Commissioner McKee asked if one commits an act that is legal at one point, but is made <br /> 46 illegal in the future, can one be held to the future law retroactively. <br /> 47 John Roberts said he does not think one can be held accountable to a law retroactively. <br /> 48 Commissioner McKee asked if there are any current protocols in place that could <br /> 49 prevent Aero from landing. <br /> 50 John Roberts said he cannot answer that at this time. <br />