For years, civil libertarians have objected to the United States losing lives of our military personnel and hundreds of billions of dollars in Afghanistan as the country imposed rigid religious laws, suppresses minority groups, and denies women basic freedoms and protections. Now the United Nations has found Afghans returning to another prior habit: torture.
According to a new 74-page report, prisoners at Afghan-run detention facilities have been beaten and tortured in 24 provinces run by the Afghan National Police and the Directorate of Security.
Torture is so bad that NATO has had to delay the continued transfer of additional facilities to the government. Afghan officials are particularly fond of “suspending people by their wrists, beatings to the soles of their feet, electric shocks, twisting detainees’ genitals, removing toe nails and being put in stress positions.”
In the meantime, the Obama Administration is supporting a move to turn over whole areas to militias previously denounced as extremist and abusive. There is no longer any claims that we have produced the democratic utopia described by Bush officials. Instead, we have an inherently unstable country composed of the same militias with the same religious extremism and abusive practices.
Of course, the Obama Administration would be laughed out of the room if they seriously object to the lack of investigation or prosecution of torture. As soon as he came into power, Obama promised no CIA official would be investigated or prosecuted for torture.
Source: Washington Post
http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2011/10/11/confess-or-be-ready-to-die-un-report-pummels-us-ally-afghanistan-on-torture/
LK and angry man
5 cats, one dog
sometimes it’s like payton place around here
Anon nurse, I’m suspecting you’re correct.
AMS, SEVEN! you are a brave soul. I had 4. 4 is generally the max; with the better half the life-pod seems to be about right at a 6 total. Two of the kitties died in December so the pod is a bit light now. Strays do seem to come along though.
I visited your site (if a nom de plume is a link I generally follow it) and you have some interesting things to say. You are a brave soul. One has to be these days.
“Closer and closer to home it gets.” -lottakatz
It’s already hit home with some different twists… Many just don’t know it yet…
Lottakatz, (seriously? I have seven. How about you?)
Huh?
SB “Kipling’s” above
But, but, AMS, things are looking up; McCrystal says we’re about half-way to our goal in Afghanistan. That’s sure good news, right? Right?
Kipling a favorite of mine, thanks for the reference. 1887 eh. Afganistan, where empires go to die.
500 days! He hasn’t even been formally charged as yet that I can find. Outrageous.
But I suspect the government is only conditioning us. Secret trials and prisons for unlawful combatant’s- a recently invented up designation; hit lists with Americans uncharged or convicted but only if they are overseas; detention for possibly years but if ones in the armed forces the rules are different for them. Closer and closer to home it gets.
Very thought provoking, angrymanspeaks
When you’re wounded and left on Afghanistan’s plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An’ go to your Gawd like a soldier.
Rudyard Kipling– circa 1887
“the only thing that never changes; is that everything changes and the more things change, the more they stay the same”
unknown
anon nurse,
thanks for the link to the Manning incarceration issue.