Denounce Torture

The following is a statement from AIUSA's Acting Director of Government Relations, Eric Olson, in response to today's release of the State Department’s Country Reports on Terrorism:

In light of today’s State Department report stating that there was a sharp rise in the number of terrorist incidents in 2005, perhaps the United States government needs to honestly assess if it is pursuing the best strategy in winning the “war on terror.”  Though the State Department rationalized the increase by attributing it to differences in methodology, the scope of the report and the Iraq war, the bottom line is the numbers are up.  Even more importantly, does a “war on terror” policy that includes holding and torturing people in secret facilities or outsourcing torture, without charge, trial or access to the outside world make us safer? According to today’s report, apparently not.

Images depicting abuse and ill treatment at the U.S.-operated Abu Ghraib detention facility were made public two years ago today. Azmat Begg (pictured) is the father of Moazzam Begg -- just one of many individuals scooped up, detained and abused for months in U.S.-operated detention facilities.  Moazzam Begg was eventually released after more than three years of detention where he faced ill-treatment (he was never charged with a crime).

To commemorate the two year marker of the publication of the Abu Ghraib images, we have published an article by historian Alfred McCoy exploring how torture has become an official weapon of war in the U.S.-led "war on terror" and what rights groups are doing to stop these abuses:

In the aftermath of the Abu Ghraib scandal, the White House has defended torture as a presidential prerogative and blocked reform efforts. By contrast, a loose coalition of civil-liberties lawyers and human rights groups has mobilized to stop the abuse. In June 2004 the Supreme Court ruled in a landmark case, Rasul v. Bush, that Guantanamo detainees were, in fact, on territory leased to the United States and thus deserved access to U.S. courts. Leading U.S. law firms responded by filing 160 habeas corpus cases for 300 detainees.

We've also developed a multimedia feature detailing the cases of seven of the more than 70,000 individuals detained by the United States in the U.S.-led "war on terror." Check it out. And once you have, take action.

Tags: amnesty international, torture, war on terror, cia, human rights, secret detention, disappearances, abu ghraib.

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The Jurist is reporting that seven Guantanamo detainees are claiming that they were extradited and tortured in locations such as Morocco, Jordan, and Egypt. This claim is consistent with findings in a Human Rights Watch report that Gitmo prisoners had told their lawyers that they had been flown to different locations where they we tortured:

One of the seven, Australian national Mamdouh Habib..., was later released. Another, Ethiopian Binyam Ahmad Muhammad... is currently on trial before a military commission, and has said that his confession to conspiring to use a "dirty bomb" against the US was forced from him by interrogators in Morocco; last year he claimed he was tortured...in Pakistan, Morocco, and Afghanistan before arriving in Cuba.

See "Guantanamo detainees claim US prisoner transfers exposed them to torture."

Tags: human rights, war on terror, torture, disappearances, black sites,  rendition, aviation, secret detention,  extraordinary rendition.

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The NYTimes reports that a recent EU inquiry found that the CIA had flown more than 1,000 CIA flights in Europe since 2001 (the article comes via Craig Murray's Blog).  According to the article:

[Giovanni Fava of Italy, a Socialist member of the European Parliament who led the committee,] said the committee hoped to send a fact-finding mission to Poland and Romania in September. Both countries have been cited as possible locations for prisons.

Our report, Secret flights: to torture and 'disappearance', released last month, provides the only public testimony of individuals detained at "black sites." Analysis of their testimony suggests that there is a strong possibility that they were held at a "black site" located in Eastern Europe:

Although the men were never allowed outside, or even to look through a window, they were given prayer schedules throughout the year. The schedules were not made up by the prison officials, but were downloaded from an Internet site (islamicfinder.org) which the men could see at the bottom of the printouts. On these schedules, they said that the time of sundown prayer over the course of the year changed by over three hours, from about 4.30pm to about 8.45pm (including an additional hour for daylight saving time). Such a degree of variation indicates a location north of the 41st parallel, well above the Middle East, and very likely to be within one of the member states of the Council of Europe (CoE). Countries that would fit the time range include Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania and Macedonia. They were also in a location that observed daylight saving time, which is observed in all CoE member states, but not, for instance, in Afghanistan, Jordan or Pakistan. 

Tags: European Union, human rights, torture, war on terror, black sites, avaition, extraordinary renditions.

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Guantanamo Bay detainee Jabran Said bin al-Qahtani has refused to participate in his own trial. The Mercury News reported Al- Qahtani's reaction to the proceedings at the military tribunal:

When O'Toole began to explain the legal process, al-Qahtani responded, 'This is nonsense.'

The judge then explained the benefits of having a lawyer, but al-Qahtani was not interested.

'I would prefer to be ignorant of these matters,' he said, resting his head on his hands. 'I don't care.'

At another point, the detainee, who has bushy black hair and a thick beard, told the judge that a lawyer couldn't help him, saying the U.S. can 'either kill me or imprison me or God will provide me with rescue, and then you will regret everything.'

See "Guantanamo Bay detainee boycotts trial."

Tags: war on terror, al-Qhatani.

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The Washington Times published a piece today on the U.S. military's response to allegations raised by Amnesty International and the ACLU that detainees have been abused or ill treated during the U.S.-led "war on terror":

'We're the most investigated army in history and we are investigating ourselves and we take allegations of detainee abuse seriously,' said Maj. Wayne Marotto, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon. 'The Army does not tolerate detainee abuse,' said Maj. Marotto. 'Army policy requires that all detainees are treated humanely. ... The Army does not determine what conduct reaches 'the level of torture.' Instead, soldiers' misconduct is evaluated through the military's criminal statute.'

Amnesty International has noted that in certain cases, U.S. officials have apparently taken swift action to investigate the allegations of abuse and to prosecute the perpetrators. However, given that torture or ill-treatment have continued, the we're concerned that insufficient safeguards have been put in place in order to protect detainees from the recurrence of abuse.

See "Prisoner torture numbers fuzzy."

Tags: Human Rights, Torture, War on Terror, Geneva Convention, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay.

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Here are some photos from a dramatic reading organized by AIUSA activists from Amnesty USA's Northeast Region:

View a slideshow of the photos.

Tags: Human Rights, War on Terror, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, The Pentagon, amnesty international, torture, disappearances.

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Reuters reports that approximately 30% of Guantanamo's prisoners have been cleared to be released. Yet all the prisoners continue to be held because the U.S. government has yet to find a way to transport the prisoners to their homelands. Defense officials claim that there is no reason for these prisoners to be held longer than necessary. 

So why are they still there?

"It's just an outrageous situation where people have gone through this system that has been established, such as it is, and the (U.S.) government itself has found there's no reason for them to be held any longer, and yet they continue to be held," said Curt Goering, a senior Amnesty International USA official.

"It makes a mockery of any kind of system of justice," Goering added.

See "Nearly 30 percent at Guantanamo jail cleared to go."

Tags: Human Rights, War on Terror, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, The Pentagon, amnesty international, torture, disappearances.

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Economist's View comments on an article by NYTimes columnist Herbert that focuses on our report, Below the Radar (note: the op-ed is behind the NYTimes' paywall):

I don't believe anyone should be subjected to torture, guilty or not. But if I was held in "an underground, rat-infested cell about the size of a grave" and subjected to the other things described in the reports, and I was innocent of any wrong doing as many of these people apparently are, I would want someone held accountable. Wouldn't you?

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Via Eccentric Star:

[The European Union's antiterrorism chief Gijs de Vries] said the European Parliament investigation had not uncovered rights abuses despite more than 50 hours of testimony by rights advocates and people who say they were abducted by C.I.A. agents. A similar investigation by the Council of Europe, the European human rights agency, came to the same conclusion in January — though the leader of that inquiry, Dick Marty, a Swiss senator, said then that there were enough "indications" to justify continuing the investigation.

A number of legislators on Thursday challenged Mr. de Vries for not taking seriously earlier testimony before the committee of a German and a Canadian who gave accounts of being kidnapped and kept imprisoned by foreign agents.

The committee also heard Thursday from a former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, who said: "I can attest to the willingness of the U.S. and the U.K. to obtain intelligence that was got under torture in Uzbekistan. If they were not willing, then rendition prisons could not have existed." But Mr. Murray, who was recalled from his job in 2004 after condemning the Uzbek authorities and criticizing the British and American governments, told the committee that he had no proof that detention centers existed within Europe.

In a recent report, "Below the Radar," we feature accounts from three Yemeni men held at "black sites" believed to be in Eastern Europe and other locations:

...the three men were kept in at least four different secret facilities, likely to have been in at least three different countries, judging by the length of their transfer flights and other information they have been able to provide. Although not conclusive, the evidence suggests that they were held at various times in Djibouti, Afghanistan and Eastern Europe.

The Pentagon has released its most thorough list of Guantanamo Bay detainees.  This comes via Kos:

Well, finally the world is allowed to know who we captured, and likely are abusing and torturing.  Their families can know that they are alive, but have to worry it this is better or not.

So, who is it we are holding in Guantamino Bay Prison?

Also check out JURIST: Paper Chase's post: "US releases list of Guantanamo Bay detainees."

Tags: Human Rights, Torture, War on Terror, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, The Pentagon, David Hicks,The Associated Press

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Amnesty's latest report, "Below the Radar" is highlighted in an op-ed today by Bob Herbert. This is "Time Select" content, so you'll have to sign up ($$) if you want to read it. Here's a quote from the article from Amnesty's Curt Goering for those of you who aren't signed-up:

Some of the individuals swept up by rendition simply vanish. 'This is a kind of netherworld that people disappear into and don't frequently emerge from,' said Mr. Goering. 'It's a world that's outside the reach of law. These individuals might as well be on another planet.' There is no way to know how many people have been seized, tortured or killed. Since there are no official proceedings, there is no way to know whether a particular individual who is taken into custody is a legitimate terror suspect or someone who is innocent of any wrongdoing. But we have learned, after the fact, that mistakes have been made.

Tags: Rumsfeld, Human Rights, Torture, War on Terror, Bush, Geneva Convention, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, Black Sites, Avaition, Extraordinary Renditions.  

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The Washington Post reports that defense attorneys for Sgt. Santos A. Cardona  have called Army Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller to testify. Miller will be the highest-ranking official to testify in any court hearing related to the Abu Ghraib scandal:

The order by Marine Lt. Col. Paul H. McConnell will give defense attorneys a chance to question Miller about the use of dogs in security and interrogation operations at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and in Iraq. It also means lawyers could use Miller's testimony to attempt to draw connections between the alleged abuse and the policies developed by top Pentagon officials, who had regular contact with Miller when he was the commander at Guantanamo Bay.

See "Top Officer Ordered To Testify on Abuse."

Tags: Geoffrey Miller, Human Rights, Rumsfeld, Torture, war on terror, Bush, Geneva Convention, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, Black Sites, Dog Handlers, Court Martial

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A military judge has barred attorneys from calling Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to testify at a court martial in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. Many low-ranking officials who were involved in the abuse and ill treatment at Abu Ghraib maintain that they were simply following orders. According to a wire article:

At a pretrial hearing in the case of Army Sgt. Santos A. Cardona, a defense lawyer said Rumsfeld personally dispatched Miller to Abu Ghraib to review interrogation procedures as the U.S. military sought better intelligence from prisoners amid a growing insurgency in Iraq.

See "Rumsfeld Won't Be Called in Prison Case - Yahoo! News."

Tags: Rumsfeld, Human Rights, Torture, War on Terror, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay

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Concerns about Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's invlolvement in Mohamed al-Qahtani's abuse and ill-treatment are reviving discussions in the blogosphere about the need to investigate allegations of torture up the military and civilian chain of command.  The following comes from the Daily Kos:

We already know the chain of responsibility quite well.  Alberto Gonzales wrote an memorandum to President Bush warning him to renounce the Geneva Conventions as "quaint" and "obsolete" and also to protect Bush against future charges of War Crimes.

Michael Froomkin at Discourse.net can't believe the continued denials of high-level U.S. civilian and military officials' involvement in abuse and ill-treatment:

The other day I attended a UM Law School Federalist society meeting at which a nationally respected scholar spoke on the proper role of foreign law in the decisions of the Supreme Court [...] During the talk there were a number of quite amazing claims, [...] but surely the low point was the claim that the US does not torture people.

When challenged on it, the visiting scholar said that while there were obviously some low-level people who had acted wrongly, he'd "seen no evidence" that there were any pro-torture policies directed from the top. Although he didn't use the actual words, it was the "few bad apples" theory in all its glory. 

I share your disbelief, Michael.  How can the 'few bad apples' theory hold water in light of all the compelling evidence that officials in the highest reaches of our government are involved in detainee abuse?

Be sure to check out JURIST: Paper Chase and TalkLeft's posts.  

Tags: Rumsfeld, Human Rights, Torture, War on Terror, Bush, Geneva Convention, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, Black Sites. 

Human Rights Watch has stated that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld can be held personally responsible for the use of torture on US prisoners. This news follows statements made by Lt. Gen. Randall M. Schmidt that link Rumsfeld to the interrogation tactics used on Mohammad al-Qahtani.  According to HRW's Terrorism and Counterterrorism Program director Joanne Mariner:

The question at this point is not whether Secretary Rumsfeld should resign, it’s whether he should be indicted. General Schmidt’s sworn statement suggests that Rumsfeld may have been perfectly aware of the abuses inflicted on al-Qahtani.

Lt. Gen. Schmidt is quoted by HRW as saying:

Secretary Rumsfeld was “talking weekly” with Gen. Miller about the al-Qahtani interrogation, and that the secretary of defense was “personally involved in the interrogation of [this] one person.”

See "U.S.: Rumsfeld Potentially Liable for Torture."

Tags: Rumsfeld, Human Rights, Torture, War on Terror, Bush, Geneva Convention, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, Black Sites

A piece featured in Adbusters Magazine by University of British Columbia professor Michael Byers,  takes a look at the UK and Canada's complicity in abuse and ill-treatment committed in the U.S.-led "war on terror."  Guy L. Storms reacts to this article in the comment section of the article:

...Here in Canada, it doesn't matter if you vote Conservative, Liberal or NDP; these issues are not seriously on the political agenda and the subject of torture is mentioned only to sound politically correct. We do have a Green Party, for whom I vote, but it is without a media voice or national influence. The three major parties all seem to skate over the issue of torture, and pundits/journalists in Canada's media are now afraid to criticize American foreign policy. Soon, it would seem, the United States will be returning to torturing its own, legally. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

See "We are the Torturers: The Global Erosion of Human Rights."

Tags: Human Rights, Torture, Geneva Convention, Waterboarding, Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, War on Terror

The Amnesty International report, "Below the Radar," continues to spark discussion in print and on the Web.  Here's an op-ed piece Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights wrote:

A recent 25-page report from Amnesty International disclosed hundreds of flight records of front companies the CIA used to transport people to locations where torture is a common government practice.

The CIA refused to respond to the report, but the agency has previously defended similar practices under the euphemism of “extraordinary rendition.” Translated into English, that means outsourcing torture, and these shocking records show that torture has become a tool of U.S. foreign policy.

How did we reach this point where U.S. torture is repeatedly revealed, Americans are briefly outraged, Congress deplores the conduct, but the policies continue virtually unchanged?

So, how did we?

See "U.S. continues to outsource torture."

News Day.Com reports the American Civil Liberties Union continues its quest for the truth as it again calls on the U.S. government to release more photos depicting the ill-treatment of prisoners:

Hours after the acknowledgement by the Department of Defense, the American Civil Liberties Union said the government must now turn over 29 more photographs and two videotapes related to the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody. ACLU lawyer Amrit Singh said the organization learned of the images, apparently not taken at Abu Ghraib, when the Army turned over documents late last year in response to an ACLU lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

See "One success behind it, ACLU pursues more prisoner photos."

Bahrain's Parliament has written a letter to the U.S. Congress in an effort to hasten the cases of three Bahraini nationals in Guantanamo Bay prison. According to Gulf Daily News, the letter pleas for the release of  Bahrainis Isa Abdulla Al Murbati, 42, Juma Mohammed Al Dossary, 32, and Salah Abdulrasool Al Blooshi, 24, have been detained with out trial for nearly 5 years. The decision to draft the letter came after a meeting of the prisoners lawyers, Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, Christopher Karagheuzoff and Mark Sullivan, and members of parliament. According to Bryan:

We understand that the government of Bahrain is working to bring home Juma, Isa and Salah. Considering the very bad condition in which our clients are now, we sincerely hope that the government's efforts will show results.

See "MPs plan plea over Bay three."

According from news at 91.3 KUWS, 50-year-old John LaForge ill serve 6 months in a Duluth Federal Minimum Security Prison for nonviolent civil disobedience in protest to the use of torture. LaForge is beginning to serve his term for protesting the U.S. Army's School of Americas because of their support of torture, exhortation, and execution. LaForge seemed in good spirits as he began to serve his sentence:

There’s a long history in the U.S. of people going to jail to bring attention wrongdoing, and I’m just acting in my small way as a part of this wonderful tradition of nonviolent civil disobedience.

See "Duluth man goes to federal prison over U.S. torture."

Pre-trial hearings before military commissions at Guantánamo are going ahead despite a pending Supreme Court decision on their legality. Amnesty International's Advocacy Director for Domestic Human Rights and International Justice, Jumana Musa, is observing the hearings.

Amnesty International has long been calling for the military commission trials to be cancelled and for the Military Order enabling these trials to be revoked, on the grounds that the Military Order is fundamentally flawed and any trial under its provisions will violate international fair trial standards. As such, the organization has expressed its deep regret at all steps taken to proceed with the trials, including the pre-trial hearings.

A summary of Amnesty International’s initial findings from the second day of this round of proceedings (5 April 2006).

Another Blog that has done a thorough job of following the trials is the JURIST - check out what they have to say about the defenders and the brave lawyers taking on these cases.

Our latest report ('Below the radar') on the CIA's unlawful transfer of detainees to countries that torture has gotten some pick-up in the blogosphere:

• TalkLeft has renamed the report Ghost Air.
• JURIST'S Paper Chase has included links to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (aka, the Chicago Convention) as well as JURIST reports that provide background to 'Below the Radar.'
• War and Piece links to a Fox news story that calls 'Below the radar' Amnesty's "most detailed report yet on alleged secret rendition flights of terror suspects."

Tags: black sites, amnesty international, torture, rendition, aviation, war on terror, cia, human rights, secret detention, disappearances.

A new Amnesty report documents how the CIA has used private aircraft operators and front companies to preserve the secrecy of rendition flights and "black site" detention.  But in addition to exposing the CIA's exploitation of aviation practices to unlawfully transfer detainees to countries that torture, the report puts a human face on this issue by telling the story of three survivors of rendition:

In May 2005, three stunned and traumatized Yemeni men emerged from a covert network of US-run prisons scattered across continents. They had been transported from site to site on secret flights and detained since 2003 without any contact with the outside world. Amnesty International went to Yemen to interview them and the men’s gruelling stories shed a glimmer of light on the murky system of captures, transfers and secret detention that has been developed by the USA in the “war on terror”.

The