Notably, this conduct would have not been viewed as torture under the Bush Administration standards. The government insisted that “all rules, policies and procedures were followed correctly by the Police Department.” It appears that Professor John Yoo and Judge Jay Bybee have found work as legal consultants.
Afghan grain dealer Mohammed Shah Poor was accused of shortchanging on the delivery of grain. Issa is shown encouraging the cameraman to get a closer and better picture of the torture. “Get closer, get closer, let his suffering show!” Issa yells on the tape.
Issa is one of 22 “Royal Sheikhs” and a son of the country’s president, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
While the government is insisting that the police acted perfectly and legally, Bassam Nabulsi, a businessman from Houston, Texas, says that he was arrested for narcotics when he refused to turn over the tape. He is a former business partner of Sheikh Issa and was thrown into an UAE prison. After serving time, he was deported with his passport stamped “Not Allowed to Return to the UAE.”
It is an interesting problem for New York University since Issa and his family are funding the new NYU Abu Dhabi campus.
This link provides access to an exclusive ABC report with video evidence of one of the 22 royal sheikhs of the United Arab Emirates, the powerful brothers who are currently funding the building and managing of NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus, taking part in torture with the help of uniformed UAE police officers.
For the video, click here.
For the story, click here.