Denounce Torture

Newsweek reports that it has obtained a copy of a November 2002 memo from an FBI agent warning superiors that U.S. officials who discussed plans to ship terror suspects to foreign nations could be prosecuted for conspiring to violate U.S. law. According to the article, the memo's author was at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to "advise on interrogation techniques."

See "Exclusive: Secret Memo—Send to Be Tortured."

This week, we witnessed the proposal of three amendments addressing allegations of torture and ill-treatment of detainees in U.S. custody in the “war on terror.” This is a major victory; it's becoming clear that Senators are paying close attention to their constituents' opinions on this issue. If you have not called your senator to urge their support of an independent commission to investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment in U.S. detention centers around the world, do it today. If you have called already, do it again anyway. Also, be sure to tell your friends and family about our Denounce Torture Initiative and ask them to make a call of support as well. It only takes a few moments and can have a big impact.

Find your senator's contact information.

Morning Edition’s Wendy Kaufman reported today on United States District Court Judge John C. Coughenour’s sentencing of LAX bomb plotter Ahmed Ressam.  As he handed down the sentence, Judge Coughenour offered this implicit criticism of the administration’s use of special military commissions to try non-U.S. citizens suspected of involvement in "international terrorism":

“We did not need to use a secret military tribunal, detain the defendant indefinitely, or deny the defendant counsel.  Our courts have not abandoned the commitment to the ideals that set this nation apart.”

Listen to "LAX Bomb Plotter Sentenced to 22 Years."
See AI's report, "A deepening stain on U.S. justice."

The American Civil Liberties Union reported today that it had released files obtained from the U.S. Department of Defense providing new insights into investigations into abuse at the Guantánamo Bay Detention Center.  According to ACLU Executive Director:

"These new documents provide vivid descriptions of how interrogation techniques approved by Rumsfeld constituted serious abuse in some instances. There’s no denying that these approved techniques went too far and that the military knew full well how they were being used on detainees."

See "Government Releases New Documents Detailing Abuse at Guantánamo Bay."
View the documents.

The Senate has now pulled the Department of Defense Authorization Bill from consideration.  Therefore it is no longer being debated in the Senate and it will not be voted on at this time. The bill may come up later in the year and we will keep you posted. Calls to your Senators are no longer need.  Thanks to all of you who took action and called your Senator.  

For background, see "Support Amendments Restricting Interrogation Practices and Establishing an Independent Commission."

We urgently need you to place calls to both of your Senators on Monday to urge them to support the two amendments by Senators McCain and Graham and the amendment by Senators Levin, Kennedy, Rockefeller, and Reed to the fiscal year 2006 Defense Authorization bill! Please pull out all the stops to get calls to your Senators now.

Take Action Now.

The Washington Post weighed in today on an amendment proposed by Senators John McCain (R - AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R - SC) to the defense operations bill that would require all interrogations to be conducted according to the norms of the Army manual and forbid "cruel, inhumane and degrading" treatment of all foreign detainees.  The Post concluded that this amendment:

"...could correct some of the most serious problems behind the continuing scandal over abuses of prisoners at Guantanamo, the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and elsewhere. Yet rather than work with the Republican senators, the White House is crudely threatening to veto the defense bill if it contains any language on prisoners. The administration's message is that Congress should have no say over how the United States questions or prosecutes the thousands of foreigners it is holding, including those on American bases. Just such highhandedness helped get the administration into the mess it faces with foreign detainees. Congress should insist on a different approach."

See "A Need for Congress."

Take action now: Urge Your Senators to Support McCain/Graham Interrogation Amendments

Yesterday, the Village Voice criticized the lack of attention paid to reports of what it called "covert but official" use of physicians to "break" prisoners during the so-called "war on terror."  The reports came from Burton J. Lee III, a board member of Physicians for Human Rights and former White House physician to president George H.W. Bush.  The article quotes Lee as saying:

"It's precisely because of my devotion to country, respect for our military and commitment to the ethics of the medical profession that I speak out against systematic government-sanctioned torture and excessive abuse of prisoners during our war on terrorism." 

See "Doctors Assisting Torture."
See the Physicians for Human Rights report, "Break them Down."
See the New England Journal of Medicine report, "Doctors and Interrogators at Guantanamo Bay."

Editors for the Syracuse Post-Standard believe that latest investigation on abuses at the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay demonstrate that "something is still badly off-kilter in this free and democratic society." Referring to the abuses, the editorial concludes:

"There is precious little evidence that abuse or torture produces any better or more reliable information than thorough, relentless interrogation. There may be a strong temptation to rewrite the rules when dealing with terror suspects. But that invites Americans to behave like agents of brutal dictators. In doing so, they tarnish America's principles."

See "Is America No Better? Continued Reports of Detainee Abuse Recall Thuggish Regimes."

The Washington Post reported today that the British government has reached a "memorandum of understanding" with Jordan assuring that suspects shipped to that country from Britain would be "treated correctly" (Britain is not allowed under international law to send people back to a country where they face torture or the death penalty). According to the article, Amnesty spokesperson Saria Rees-Roberts had this to say to about the memo:

"Frankly, we think these assurances are not worth the paper they're written on. It's just unacceptable for the U.K. to try to circumvent the global ban on torture. We believe the U.K. must bring the people responsible for the bombings to justice, but going soft on torture is not the answer."

See "Britain Will Act to Bar Terrorist Sympathizers"

For information about detention of prisoners of conscience, widespread torture, and unfair trials of political detainees in Jordan, see Amnesty International's "Jordan: An Absence of Safeguards."

Floridatoday.com has published an editoral calling for the closure of the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.  Quoting Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Republican from Nebraska, the editorial says:

"Interrogation techniques used at Guantanamo, says Hagel, a Vietnam combat veteran, are 'not at all within the standards of who we are as a civilized people, what our laws are.'

"We strongly agree."

See "Shut down Gitmo."

When it comes to Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, the Philadelphia Inquirer says, "The Pentagon cannot fully judge itself on this topic."

The editorial concludes with the following statement:

"Congress needs to establish an independent commission that can look not only at the abusive treatment itself, but more comprehensively at the politics and policy framework that surrounded the incidents and allowed them to become acceptable practice."

See "Military can't see it."

In an opinion peice on Monday in the Miami Herald, editors call for Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller to be held accountable for interrogation tactics used at the U.S. detention facility at Guatanamo Bay while he was in command.

They also note that "the abuse and humiliation at Guantánamo, authorized by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, eerily parallel tactics later used in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq."

See "Guantánamo's legacy."

Moving Ideas has compiled a resource page on issues and policies related to the treatment of detainees by the United States.  The page includes links to numerous organizations and news articles.  See "Torture and Tribunals: The Treatment and Status of Detainees Worldwide."

Former detainee Mamdouh Habib of Austrailia has reiterated his claim that he was tortured at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, reports the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 

Habib's statements follow the release of the findings of the latest investigation by the U.S. military on the treatment of detainees at the facility.  The three-month probe concluded that tactics used at Guantanamo Bay did not amount to torture.

See "Habib stands by torture claims," from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Jumana Musa, AIUSA Advocacy Director for Domestic Human Rights and International Justice, issued the statement below following the decision by a panel of judges that will allow the U.S. military to resume the use of "military commissions" to carry out war crimes trials at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. (See our previous post "Court says "military commission" trials can resume.")

"Today a Federal Appeals Court chose to consolidate power in an executive branch that has shown a propensity for acting outside the law. Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) urges the U.S. government not to go forward with the military commissions as currently constructed. Instead, it should make the necessary changes to bring the proceedings in line with traditional U.S. and international standards for fair trials."

A panel of judges has ruled that the U.S. military can resume the use of "military commissions" to carry out war crimes trials at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. The ruling overturns a lower court decision.

The ruling said that "the 1949 Geneva Convention governing prisoners of war does not apply to al-Qaida and its members," according to an AP news report published on the Seattle Times web site. 

Lawyers working on behalf of the Guantanamo detainees plan to appeal.

See "Court clears way for Pentagon to resume military trials of terror suspects," from the Seattle Times.

The Denounce Torture Initiative is mobilizing activists for a special week of home district lobbying from September 26th - 30th. During this week, activists across the country will be visiting the local offices of their Members of Congress to urge their support of an independent commission to fully investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment in US detention centers around the world.

You do not have to be experienced at lobbying to participate! We will offer a series of special online trainings in September to prepare you.

Watch this space for more information in the next few days.

The Washington Post reports today that the findings of the latest investigation by the U.S. military on the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay provides the "strongest indication yet that the abusive practices seen in photographs at Abu Ghraib were not the invention of a small group of thrill-seeking military police officers."  See "Abu Ghraib Tactics Were First Used at Guantanamo."

One year after the Supreme Court ruled that the detainees at Guantánamo have the right to challenge their detention in federal court, the U.S. Government continues to argue that the detainees have no legal rights. The Guantánamo detention facility has become a symbol of the Administration’s refusal to put human rights and the rule of law at the center of its policies in the "war on terror". Take action now: Send a message to the President.

In this week's issue of the New Yorker magazine, writer Jane Mayer recounts her trip to the U.S. detention center in Guantánamo Bay and raises a few interesting questions about the treatment of the detainees. While the article itself is not online, the New Yorker has published a brief interview with Mayer about some of her conclusions.  Read Q&A: In Gitmo.

Today, the Charlotte Observer asked six teenagers whether or not the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay should be closed.  Read their answers.   (Free registration required.)

United Press International is reporting that Yemen expects U.S. authorities to release 50 Yemeni prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay.  The news report says U.S. authorities have already handed over five detainees. 

Read more from Washington Times: 
http://washingtontimes.com/upi/20050709-032239-5873r.htm

As part of the Denounce Torture: Stop It Now! initiative, Amnesty International USA is hoping to have at least 250,000 people living in the United States sign a special statement against torture. We already have over 25,000 signatures.  Help us grow this number! Please ask your family and friends to sign the statement:

Click here to tell your friends and family: 
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/tellafriend/index.asp?pid=139

Amnesty International USA will use this petition letter in our efforts to show the Bush Administration, Congress, and others that those living in the United States are strongly opposed to torture and ill-treatment in all circumstances.