OT: Release of the DOJ torture transcripts.

[afx114]

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/729edac0-a3d3-11da-83cc-0000779e2340.html?nclick_check=1

A human rights group accused the Bush administration on Wednesday of failing to take responsibility for the nearly 100 detainees who have died in US custody, including eight who were tortured to death, since August 2002.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4738008.stm

Almost 100 prisoners have died in US custody in Iraq and Afghanistan since August 2002, according to US group Human Rights First.

…

Of the 98 deaths, at least 34 were suspected or confirmed homicides, the programme said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/20/international/asia/20abuse.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=4579c146cb14cfd6&ex=1274241600

At the interrogators’ behest, a guard tried to force the young man to his knees. But his legs, which had been pummeled by guards for several days, could no longer bend.

…

Several hours passed before an emergency room doctor finally saw Mr. Dilawar. By then he was dead, his body beginning to stiffen.

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/11/14/051114fa_fact

According to witnesses, Jamadi was walking and speaking when he arrived at the prison. He was taken to a shower room for interrogation. Some forty-five minutes later, he was dead.

[gandalf]

ksm, you’re wrong about the parameters of the torture program.

Nobody knows if torture produced intel that prevented specific attacks. Most reports indicate the opposite. Bad intel gained from torture wasted field resources chasing false leads.

Whatever tactical advantages produced by torture, and it’s not clear there were any, the overall program has been broadly damaging to US interests from a strategic perspective.

We cannot prevail in this conflict without a moral imperative. You may view this as a sign of weakness. You’re confused. This is a long war. Nothing could be further from the truth.

[gandalf]

ksm, you’re wrong about the parameters of the torture program.

Nobody knows if torture produced intel that prevented specific attacks. Most reports indicate the opposite. Bad intel gained from torture wasted field resources chasing false leads.

Whatever tactical advantages produced by torture, and it’s not clear there were any, the overall program has been broadly damaging to US interests from a strategic perspective.

We cannot prevail in this conflict without a moral imperative. You may view this as a sign of weakness. You’re confused. This is a long war. Nothing could be further from the truth.

[gandalf]

ksm, you’re wrong about the parameters of the torture program.

Nobody knows if torture produced intel that prevented specific attacks. Most reports indicate the opposite. Bad intel gained from torture wasted field resources chasing false leads.

Whatever tactical advantages produced by torture, and it’s not clear there were any, the overall program has been broadly damaging to US interests from a strategic perspective.

We cannot prevail in this conflict without a moral imperative. You may view this as a sign of weakness. You’re confused. This is a long war. Nothing could be further from the truth.

[gandalf]

ksm, you’re wrong about the parameters of the torture program.

Nobody knows if torture produced intel that prevented specific attacks. Most reports indicate the opposite. Bad intel gained from torture wasted field resources chasing false leads.

Whatever tactical advantages produced by torture, and it’s not clear there were any, the overall program has been broadly damaging to US interests from a strategic perspective.

We cannot prevail in this conflict without a moral imperative. You may view this as a sign of weakness. You’re confused. This is a long war. Nothing could be further from the truth.

[gandalf]

ksm, you’re wrong about the parameters of the torture program.

Nobody knows if torture produced intel that prevented specific attacks. Most reports indicate the opposite. Bad intel gained from torture wasted field resources chasing false leads.

Whatever tactical advantages produced by torture, and it’s not clear there were any, the overall program has been broadly damaging to US interests from a strategic perspective.

We cannot prevail in this conflict without a moral imperative. You may view this as a sign of weakness. You’re confused. This is a long war. Nothing could be further from the truth.

[gandalf]

For those who still support torture:

(The author interrogated Abu Zubaydah.)

[gandalf]

For those who still support torture:

(The author interrogated Abu Zubaydah.)

[gandalf]

For those who still support torture:

(The author interrogated Abu Zubaydah.)

[gandalf]

For those who still support torture:

(The author interrogated Abu Zubaydah.)

[gandalf]

For those who still support torture:

(The author interrogated Abu Zubaydah.)

[afx114]

http://italy.usembassy.gov/viewer/article.asp?article=/file2003_06/alia/A3062613.htm

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
June 26, 2003

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

Today, on the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the United States declares its strong solidarity with torture victims across the world. Torture anywhere is an affront to human dignity everywhere. We are committed to building a world where human rights are respected and protected by the rule of law.

Freedom from torture is an inalienable human right. The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, ratified by the United States and more than 130 other countries since 1984, forbids governments from deliberately inflicting severe physical or mental pain or suffering on those within their custody or control. Yet torture continues to be practiced around the world by rogue regimes whose cruel methods match their determination to crush the human spirit. Beating, burning, rape, and electric shock are some of the grisly tools such regimes use to terrorize their own citizens. These despicable crimes cannot be tolerated by a world committed to justice….

The United States is committed to the world-wide elimination of torture and we are leading this fight by example. I call on all governments to join with the United States and the community of law-abiding nations in prohibiting, investigating, and prosecuting all acts of torture and in undertaking to prevent other cruel and unusual punishment. I call on all nations to speak out against torture in all its forms and to make ending torture an essential part of their diplomacy. I further urge governments to join America and others in supporting torture victims’ treatment centers, contributing to the UN Fund for the Victims of Torture, and supporting the efforts of non-governmental organizations to end torture and assist its victims.

No people, no matter where they reside, should have to live in fear of their own government. Nowhere should the midnight knock foreshadow a nightmare of state-commissioned crime. The suffering of torture victims must end, and the United States calls on all governments to assume this great mission.

[afx114]

http://italy.usembassy.gov/viewer/article.asp?article=/file2003_06/alia/A3062613.htm

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
June 26, 2003

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

Today, on the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the United States declares its strong solidarity with torture victims across the world. Torture anywhere is an affront to human dignity everywhere. We are committed to building a world where human rights are respected and protected by the rule of law.

Freedom from torture is an inalienable human right. The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, ratified by the United States and more than 130 other countries since 1984, forbids governments from deliberately inflicting severe physical or mental pain or suffering on those within their custody or control. Yet torture continues to be practiced around the world by rogue regimes whose cruel methods match their determination to crush the human spirit. Beating, burning, rape, and electric shock are some of the grisly tools such regimes use to terrorize their own citizens. These despicable crimes cannot be tolerated by a world committed to justice….

The United States is committed to the world-wide elimination of torture and we are leading this fight by example. I call on all governments to join with the United States and the community of law-abiding nations in prohibiting, investigating, and prosecuting all acts of torture and in undertaking to prevent other cruel and unusual punishment. I call on all nations to speak out against torture in all its forms and to make ending torture an essential part of their diplomacy. I further urge governments to join America and others in supporting torture victims’ treatment centers, contributing to the UN Fund for the Victims of Torture, and supporting the efforts of non-governmental organizations to end torture and assist its victims.

No people, no matter where they reside, should have to live in fear of their own government. Nowhere should the midnight knock foreshadow a nightmare of state-commissioned crime. The suffering of torture victims must end, and the United States calls on all governments to assume this great mission.

[afx114]

http://italy.usembassy.gov/viewer/article.asp?article=/file2003_06/alia/A3062613.htm

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
June 26, 2003

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

Today, on the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the United States declares its strong solidarity with torture victims across the world. Torture anywhere is an affront to human dignity everywhere. We are committed to building a world where human rights are respected and protected by the rule of law.

Freedom from torture is an inalienable human right. The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, ratified by the United States and more than 130 other countries since 1984, forbids governments from deliberately inflicting severe physical or mental pain or suffering on those within their custody or control. Yet torture continues to be practiced around the world by rogue regimes whose cruel methods match their determination to crush the human spirit. Beating, burning, rape, and electric shock are some of the grisly tools such regimes use to terrorize their own citizens. These despicable crimes cannot be tolerated by a world committed to justice….

The United States is committed to the world-wide elimination of torture and we are leading this fight by example. I call on all governments to join with the United States and the community of law-abiding nations in prohibiting, investigating, and prosecuting all acts of torture and in undertaking to prevent other cruel and unusual punishment. I call on all nations to speak out against torture in all its forms and to make ending torture an essential part of their diplomacy. I further urge governments to join America and others in supporting torture victims’ treatment centers, contributing to the UN Fund for the Victims of Torture, and supporting the efforts of non-governmental organizations to end torture and assist its victims.

No people, no matter where they reside, should have to live in fear of their own government. Nowhere should the midnight knock foreshadow a nightmare of state-commissioned crime. The suffering of torture victims must end, and the United States calls on all governments to assume this great mission.

[afx114]

http://italy.usembassy.gov/viewer/article.asp?article=/file2003_06/alia/A3062613.htm

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
June 26, 2003

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

Today, on the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the United States declares its strong solidarity with torture victims across the world. Torture anywhere is an affront to human dignity everywhere. We are committed to building a world where human rights are respected and protected by the rule of law.

Freedom from torture is an inalienable human right. The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, ratified by the United States and more than 130 other countries since 1984, forbids governments from deliberately inflicting severe physical or mental pain or suffering on those within their custody or control. Yet torture continues to be practiced around the world by rogue regimes whose cruel methods match their determination to crush the human spirit. Beating, burning, rape, and electric shock are some of the grisly tools such regimes use to terrorize their own citizens. These despicable crimes cannot be tolerated by a world committed to justice….

The United States is committed to the world-wide elimination of torture and we are leading this fight by example. I call on all governments to join with the United States and the community of law-abiding nations in prohibiting, investigating, and prosecuting all acts of torture and in undertaking to prevent other cruel and unusual punishment. I call on all nations to speak out against torture in all its forms and to make ending torture an essential part of their diplomacy. I further urge governments to join America and others in supporting torture victims’ treatment centers, contributing to the UN Fund for the Victims of Torture, and supporting the efforts of non-governmental organizations to end torture and assist its victims.

No people, no matter where they reside, should have to live in fear of their own government. Nowhere should the midnight knock foreshadow a nightmare of state-commissioned crime. The suffering of torture victims must end, and the United States calls on all governments to assume this great mission.

[Author]

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