Daylife/Reuters Pictures used by permission
Seven years captivity – released without charges |
The British government has failed in a legal challenge to keep secret U.S. intelligence material relating to allegations of “cruel and inhuman” treatment involving the CIA.
London’s Court of Appeal rejected a request by British Foreign Secretary David Miliband to prevent senior judges from disclosing seven paragraphs of information relating to the case of former Guantanamo Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed…
Judges later said the United States had threatened to end intelligence cooperation if the evidence of alleged torture was released.
But last October, two High Court judges ruled there was “an overwhelming public interest” in releasing the details, a decision upheld by the Appeal Court on Wednesday…The seven redacted paragraphs refer to interviews conducted by U.S. officials in which it was reported that Mohamed was shackled and subjected to sleep deprivation, threats and inducements.
“Although it is not necessary for us to categorize the treatment reported, it could be readily contended to be at the very least cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by the United States authorities,” the now public judgment said.
Think our freedom-loving Supreme Court would have allowed such a decision? Or Congress? Or President Obama?
Why would they want this kind of information released? More people might start to question the tactics the US is employing in regards to fighting terrorism. What if there are more like him, in gitmo, elsewhere? Also, terrorist organizations can use this as fodder to recruit members and raise funds.
See..Obama should have never given Brown those DVD’s..
It’s payback time.. /rolls eyes
-s
And what is this torturous treatment revealed by the documents?
Sleep deprivation, shackled, threatened to be sent to another country. Hey I thought he was being tortured, how could going to another country be a threat?
The moral high ground is now miles off – so far in fact its completely out of sight.
We’d probably have an easier time in the world, if we could not only claim but actually do what it takes to get at least a little bit closer.
I mean why should anybody listen to our harping on about civil liberties, freedom and the like when we do this?
Everything that comes around goes around. So this should absolutely come out. The first step in fixing a problem is admitting you have a problem.
Why was this guy released again?
He only plotted with Jose Padilla to blow up apartment buildings, getting training in Pakistan for the task.
@ Eideard:
“Think our freedom-loving Supreme Court would have allowed such a decision? Or Congress? Or President Obama?”
FromTFA:
Sleep deprivation is not torture.
#7 jbenson2
“Sleep deprivation is not torture.”
It seems likely that extreme enough sleep deprivation can cause death. Go look it up.
So was that your point – it can be torture _or_ murder?
#8 freddybobo
You can die from too much Aspirin. Go look it up.
Using your twisted logic, taking Aspirin is torture.
#7. Sleep deprivation is parenthood.
#9 ‘jbenson2’
‘You can die from too much Aspirin. Go look it up.’
Sure.
And if someone forced you to take to much Aspirin so you died what would that be. Torture? Murder?
Not everything is perfect. The UK government got the Judges’ written verdict altered because it said nasty things that upset them.
Sadly for them, the full text seems to have got out…
When will these morons realise that cover ups are counter productive?
I am not surprised one bit. Not that it was done, not that the US threatened UK judges not to release this, not by any of it.
The US not admitting to torture is like China not admitting to hacking.
Excellent rebuttal to Freddybobo’s ridiculous assertion that sleep deprivation is torture.
http://hotair.com/archives/2010/02/11/torture-claims-missing-a-certain-something/
#14 jbenson2
Your link, seems to think that being a ‘combatant’ makes it okay.
But it’s not okay. The Geneva convention which the USA is part of says…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torture
‘GCIII covers the treatment of prisoners of war (POWs) in an international armed conflict. In particular, Article 17 says that “No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever. Prisoners of war who refuse to answer may not be threatened, insulted or exposed to unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any kind.” POW status under GCIII has far fewer exemptions than “Protected Person” status under GCIV. Captured enemy combatants in an international armed conflict automatically have the protection of GCIII and are POWs under GCIII unless they are determined by a competent tribunal to not be a POW (GCIII Article 5).’
So call it what you want – but it breaks the Geneva convention clearly.
# 9 jbenson2,
I laugh at your ignorance.
It’s not the aspirin that kills, it’s all that water (read water boarding) pouring down your throat with each pill that kills.
Your right it’s just harmless torture.
For the we want it now generation, sleep deprivation is a source of light entertainment.