Our Awful Situation

Archive for the ‘Torture’ Category

Charges dropped against ‘20th’ hijacker

Posted by Charlie Kilo on May 13th, 2008

U.S. officials have said Saudi was subjected to harsh treatment:

The Pentagon has dropped charges against a Saudi at Guantanamo who was alleged to have been the so-called “20th hijacker” in the Sept. 11 attacks, his U.S. military defense lawyer said Monday.

Mohammed al-Qahtani was one of six men charged by the military in February with murder and war crimes for their alleged roles in the 2001 attacks. Authorities say al-Qahtani missed out on taking part in the attacks because he was denied entry to the U.S. by an immigration agent.

But in reviewing the case, the convening authority for military commissions, Susan Crawford, decided to dismiss the charges against al-Qahtani and proceed with the arraignment for the other five, said Army Lt. Col. Bryan Broyles, the Saudi’s military lawyer.

Crawford dismissed the charges Friday without prejudice, meaning they can be filed again later, but the defense only learned about it Monday, Broyles told The Associated Press.

The attorney said he could not comment on the reasons for the dismissal until discussing the case with lawyers for the other five defendants. Officials previously said al-Qahtani had been subjected to a harsh interrogation authorized by former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

Afghan detainees not “abused” by military

Posted by patriot on April 17th, 2008

Riiight. Because getting kicked in the kidneys isn’t abuse:

Military interrogators assaulted Afghan detainees in 2003, using investigation methods they learned during self-defense training, Pentagon documents released Wednesday show.

Pentagon documents released Wednesday state U.S. military interrogators hit Afghan detainees in 2003.

Detainees at the Gardez Detention Facility in southeastern Afghanistan reported being made to kneel outside in wet clothing and being kicked and punched in the kidneys, nose and knees if they moved, according to the documents.

A 2006 Army review concluded that the detainees were not abused but that the incident revealed “misconduct that warrants further action.”

President Bush reportedly signs off on torture

Posted by patriot on April 11th, 2008

According to this report, Bush has been discussing and signing off on torture.

We have at least ONE signed memo which establishes George W. Bush as the executive authority making final decisions in the National Security Council policy formation and decision making process which created a United States run torture regime; the document shown at the bottom of this post.

This post discusses that and also outlines the National Security Council process, Bush’s role in the NSC process and how the NSC generates national policy. Key concept: the US president is the final decision maker in the NSC process and the chair of the NSC.

Be sure to watch the video.

Bush, a law unto himself

Posted by patriot on April 1st, 2008

A 2003 memo, declassified in a lawsuit brought by the ACLU, shows to what extent Mr. Yoo was willing to go to declare the President a law unto himself (or, in other words, a King):

The Pentagon Tuesday made public a now-defunct legal memo that approved the use of harsh interrogation techniques against terror suspects, saying President Bush’s wartime authority trumps any international ban on torture.

John Yoo’s memo was rescinded nine months later by his Justice Department successor.

The Justice Department memo, dated March 14, 2003, outlines legal justification for military interrogators to use harsh tactics against al Qaeda and Taliban detainees overseas — so long as they did not specifically intend to torture their captors.

Even so, the memo noted, the president’s wartime power as commander in chief would not be limited by the U.N. treaties against torture.

“Our previous opinions make clear that customary international law is not federal law and that the president is free to override it at his discretion,” said the memo written by John Yoo, who was then deputy assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel.

King George… now that has a familiar touch, doesn’t it?

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