Criminal law, International, Politics

British Find That Detainee Was Tortured As Part Of American Interrogation . . . Obama Administration Threatens To Cut Off Intelligence To England

While the Obama Administration continues to block any independent investigation in this country or by other countries, Britain has angered Obama officials by confirming that a suspect was tortured as part of his interrogation by the United State in Morocco. The use of other countries to torture U.S. detainees through “extraordinary renditions” is well documented. However, the Obama Administration reportedly threatened to cut off Britain from access to intelligence if the country told the truth about the torture of Binyam Mohamed. Thus, while publicly condemning the desecration of dead Taliban as “deplorable” and promising an investigation (after the photos were published by the media), the Administration continues to use classification laws to prevent the truth from being revealed about American involvement in potential war crimes. What is particularly disturbing is that this story has received relatively little attention in the United States media, which appears to have “moved beyond” torture in favor of Tebow as a worthy subject of coverage.

Mohammed was interrogated by U.S. officials and tortured during the two years he was held in Morocco. He was picked up in Pakistan in 2002 after American officials claimed that he was al-Qaeda training and preparing to detonate a “dirty bomb” in the United States. If you recall, the Bush Administration also made such a claim against Jose Padilla — a statement by John Ashcroft later retracted by the White House.

The CIA reportedly transferred Mohamed to Morocco after 18 months of interrogation — transported on CIA-chartered aircraft as part of the Bush Administration’s “extraordinary rendition program.” e was later taken to Guantanamo.

During his torture sessions, Mohamed was hanged from a wall with his feet unable to reach the floor and his chest and genitals were cut with a razor. Pictures, Mohammed said, were taken by a woman with an American accent. While the British government opposed release of evidence in the case, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Metropolitan Police (Scotland Yard) confirmed the allegation of torture. They further said the torture resulted in the provision of “information to the US authorities about Mohamed and supplied questions for the US authorities to put to Mohamed while he was being detained.”

What is most striking here is that it is the Obama Administration that is fighting the release of this information and threatening England — as it earlier threatened Spain when a court in that country sought to investigate our torture program. While President Obama has admitted that waterboarding is torture, he promised CIA employees that they would not be prosecuted for such a war crime. Not only has his Administration protected such individuals from prosecution, but it has opposed the release of evidence that confirms torture even worse than waterboarding. This is why so many civil libertarians have pledged not to support Obama. Even if Obama insists on violating treaty obligations to prosecute torture, there is no principled reason to refuse to acknowledge such crimes in past cases and to withhold confirmation of such practices. Obama has long sought to give the impression of someone concerns about torture while avoiding any responsibility or accountability for such crimes. This case shows how far Obama officials have gone to conceal our violations of international and domestic laws.

If this man’s account is true (and clearly Scotland Yard has supported the thrust of the allegations), American officials participated in a horrific interrogation involving cutting a detainee and other acts of classic torture. There may be photographic evidence of such crimes. They should be made public. His name and case are already public. The classification of such evidence is being used solely to shield officials from accountability and to protect the Administration from embarrassment.

Source: The Atlantic

83 thoughts on “British Find That Detainee Was Tortured As Part Of American Interrogation . . . Obama Administration Threatens To Cut Off Intelligence To England”

  2. “The rule of law is the foundation for communities
    of opportunity and equity—it is the predicate for
    the eradication of poverty, violence, corruption,
    pandemics, and other threats to civil society.”
    William H. Neukom, Founder, President and
    CEO of the World Justice Project

    http://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/

    The World Justice Project
    Rule of Law Index®
    2011

    http://worldjusticeproject.org/sites/default/files/wjproli2011_0.pdf

  3. I’m from Chicago. Our police department has had problems with “torture”. And remember the ease with which the cops pepper sprayed the seated kids? I think torture is easy to find – all over. We are fools in thinking that “we” don’t torture. We do. And they do. And it may not be sanctioned by the generals. But it happens. All the time.

  4. So, to get to the shadow govt. which includes the CIA but is not exclusively made up of the CIA, we are going to need people who have a lot of courage. We get to the shadow govt. through elected officials. Just like a prosecution, start with the underlings and go up the food chain.

    To do this requires citizens who are willing to tell any elected person who approves of or engages in or protects those who torture to get stuffed. This means telling them they may not have your vote, your money, your defense of their crimes or your time. This means you will work for the rule of law, that you are willing to go to the wall for the rule of law and you will protest until the rule of law is restored.

    If you are a person who can only conceive of doing this under the leadership of a politician, so mote it be. Rocky Anderson is a possible choice for you. If you think you can do this as a group of citizens without a leader in the political field, you should try that. It’s not either/or, it can be both.

    The only thing necessary is the courage to withdraw consent from any politician involved in torture.

  10. http://www.startribune.com/world/137280433.html

    Spanish judge resumes probe into Guantanamo abuse, says US not answered information requests

    MADRID – A Spanish judge says he is proceeding with a probe into human rights abuses at the U.S. prison for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, after Washington failed to respond to requests for information.

    The probe stems from torture complaints filed by four Muslims who are either citizens or residents of Spain and were once held at the prison.

    The probe had been on hold while Judge Pablo Ruz awaited a response from the United States. Ruz said Friday he had received no answer from the U.S. and had thus decided to continue the case.

    The judge asked prosecutors to report back to him with the names of U.S. officials who should be targeted in the probe.

    A separate Spanish probe of U.S. lawyers accused of creating the legal framework for torture at Guantanamo was shelved last year.

  11. minority by choice,

    Well done … God, the corporate war machine and young veterans killing themselves … the whistle of distraction is well tuned …

  12. seems to me:There is cause and effect.(reap what we sow) This law is pleasant, when we are sending out good.Good will then come back to us. 2plus 2 is always 4 right?No matter what faith or not faith you claim, we all live under the same creator ,or if you want ,same action-reaction.Did our soul come into this body to live in survival,sexuality, and greed-anger( the 3 lower energy centers of our body)or to evolve higher to the heart(understanding that the other person is you). To me this is the definition of the purpose of life. Please dear our America save yourself from a horrible harvest. Be the other person.That is each of us being tortured.Stop the corporate war machine that has become our country.Lets talk about the thousands of young veterans killing themselves.Where is our heart?

  13. SwM,

    Not yet but I read Le Carre’s book a long time ago … one of Tex’s favorite authors.

    If you get an opportunity and haven’t already seen it, watch The Good Shepherd – 2006 (Directed by Robert De Niro. Starring Matt Damon). As far as I’m concerned that early history of the Central Intelligence Agency shows exactly how our democracy was forever compromised and it was all done out of fear.

  15. The problem is directly traced to the CIA. Find those running for office who aren’t afraid of the CIA and who are willing to stand up for prosecutions of CIA personnel and the problem is on the road to being solved. Anyone directing attention away from the CIA is part and parcel of the problem. Whistling in the wind, whistling in the wind.

  18. i for one will sleep better knowing there are people here in the u.s. who will gladly torture anyone when ordered.

  19. anon nurse,

    It is our duty. If people must have a candidate to lead them, there is one who has consistently spoken against torture, who even left the Democratic party for Obama’s failure to prosecute war crimes. That person is Rocky Anderson.

    Nevertheless, Rocky Anderson would not be able to do this without the backing of, we the people. If we stand for justice it will expose the shadow govt. and it won’t be pretty for us as citizens. Still, I feel we must be courageous enough to do this.

  20. “In the US we keep mixing up who should be holding our “leaders” to account. We keep looking for the savior, the candidate who will do the right thing. What we will not recognize is that we have power as citizens to either allow or stop what is happening. Stopping this is our work as citizens.” -Jill

    As you rightly say, “Stopping this is our work as citizens.” And, in fact, it’s our duty*…

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlTAFjJL4qo

    (*Jill, I know that you’ve stressed this very point…)

Comments are closed.