Internal CIA report shows agents tortured, killed prisoners ---- as they should have
terrorists should be and expect to be tortured for information and then killed On Aug 25, 1:26 am, "\"Lone Wolf\"" <[email protected]> wrote: > Internal CIA report shows agents tortured, killed prisoners > By Tom Eley > 25 August 2009 > > On Monday, the White House made public a heavily redacted version of a > Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) inspector general’s report > discussing cases of agency torture and murder of prisoners in Iraq and > Afghanistan. The same day, Attorney General Eric Holder appointed a > federal prosecutor to investigate nearly a dozen cases of torture > discussed in the report. > > Separately, an anonymous White House official told the media that the > US would continue the practice of rendition, whereby terror suspects > are abducted and sent to other nations to be interrogated under > torture. > > The 159-page report was produced more than five years ago, in May of > 2004, but had been suppressed by both the Bush and Obama > administrations. Its release was forced by a court order, which came > in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the > American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). > > The New York Times reports that “two dozen abuse cases” were brought > to the attention of the Bush Justice Department in the report years > ago. Charges were never brought in these cases, in which “some > detainees died and others suffered serious abuses.” > > Among the known cases of CIA-US military torture discussed in the full > report is the murder of Manadel al-Jamadi, an Iraqi who was captured > by Navy Seals in 2003. He was evidently beaten on his arrest, and then > taken naked and hooded to Abu Ghraib prison where a CIA interrogator, > Mark Swanner, ordered him suspended from a barred window by his arms, > which were tied behind his back. > > Al-Jamadi died either as a result of the beating he received at the > hands of the Seals or from his CIA interrogation. Charles Graner and > other US Army reservists then infamously posed for photographs over > the man’s corpse. While Graner was eventually convicted for his role > in prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, neither Swanner or the Navy Seal > commander who ordered and oversaw al-Jamadi’s arrest and torture have > been punished. > > There are a number of clear cases of abuse and torture documented in > the unredacted sections of the report: > > * An agent told a suspect that his mother would be raped in front of > him. > > * To induce fear, on more than one occasion CIA agents simulated the > killing of inmates in adjoining rooms by firing a gun, the report > reveals. Both US and international law make illegal, and define as > torture, threats made on the life of a prisoner. > > * An interrogator told Khalid Sheikh Mohammed that if another > terrorist attack took place in the United States, “We’re going to kill > your children.” > > * An interrogator pinched the carotid artery of a prisoner until he > lost consciousness, and then shook him awake, repeating the process > two more times. > > * CIA agents threatened to use a power drill on Abd al-Rahim al- > Nashiri, who is accused of participating in the bombing of the USS > Cole in October of 2000. Agents also threatened to shoot him with a > handgun. > > Al-Nashiri was also the subject of repeated waterboarding. According > to a 2006 Red Cross report leaked earlier in the year, Nashiri > reported that agents threatened him with “sodomy, and the arrest and > rape of his family.” > > An entire chapter of the report is redacted, including its title. > Given its location between two sections detailing forms of torture > used in interrogations, it may well refer to particularly brutal, and > even fatal, cases. > > The inspector general’s report does not delve into cases of torture at > CIA prison “black sites” that were secretly established in a number of > countries after the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. > > The methods described in the inspector general’s report went beyond > even the forms of torture authorized by Bush administration legal > memos produced by Justice Department lawyers in 2002 and 2005. These > memos were released by the Obama administration earlier in the year, > also in response to a Freedom of Information suit by the ACLU. One > purpose of the report appears to have been to analyze discrepancies > between those forms of torture formally authorized by the Bush > administration and what was actually taking place in the field. > > The report also illustrates that CIA officials were aware that the > methods used by their personnel could place them in legal jeopardy, > noting that “the agency faces potentially serious long-term political > and legal challenges as a result of the... program, particularly its > use of [enhanced interrogation techniques] and the inability of the US > Government to decide what it will ultimately do with terrorists > detained by the agency.” The report states further that “public > revelation” could “seriously damage... the reputation and > effectiveness of the agency itself.” > > Late Monday afternoon, Holder announced the appointment of John > Durham, a federal prosecutor from Connecticut, to investigate a number > of cases included in the inspector general’s report that had been > brought to the attention of the Bush administration. In a separate > inquiry, Durham is investigating whether the CIA broke the law by > destroying video footage of interrogation sessions with prisoners— > footage which likely featured methods of torture. > > Also on Monday, Obama administration officials, speaking on condition > of anonymity, said that the White House had formally decided to carry > on with the policy of rendition. The administration would give a > greater role to State Department diplomats in overseeing the fate of > rendered prisoners, administration sources said. > > Civil liberties groups were quick to condemn the decision. Amrit Singh > of the ACLU pointed out that the sort of diplomatic access to > prisoners promised by Obama had done little in the past to ease the > plight of those rendered to third countries, pointing to the case of > Canadian Maher Arar, who was tortured in Syria for an extended period > in spite of several visits from a Canadian diplomat. > > With the court-ordered release of the CIA inspector general’s report, > the Obama administration turned its attention to damage control, with > Obama announcing the creation of a new White House task force to > oversee the interrogation of “high value detainees” and Attorney > General Holder announcing the appointment of a prosecutor to reopen a > handful of torture cases. > > Obama distanced himself from the Justice Department decision. Deputy > Press Secretary Bill Burton said Obama, now on vacation in Martha’s > Vineyard, believes “we should be looking forward, not backward,” and > that Holder “ultimately is going to make the decisions.” > > Since the Bush Justice Department torture memos were made public in > April, Obama has repeatedly promised that there would be no > investigations, much less prosecutions, of high-ranking officials from > the previous administration. If Holder’s investigation goes forward, > it is probable that it will focus on supposed “rogue” agents in the > field, in spite of the now overwhelming evidence that torture was > systemic and organized and approved by the upper echelons of the Bush > White House. > > The military-intelligence apparatus lobbied against the CIA inspector > general report’s release, even though such a move would have defied a > court order and basic democratic precepts such as the separation of > powers. > > There appear to be sharp divisions within the Obama administration > over how to respond to the report’s publication, with the CIA openly > opposing the Justice Department’s reopening of any cases. “Justice has > had the complete document since 2004, and their career prosecutors > have reviewed it carefully for legal accountability,” said CIA > spokesman Paul Gimigliano. “That’s already been done.” > > In a Monday email to CIA employees, Director Leon Panetta defended the > agency—and torture. “[T]his much is clear,” Panetta wrote. “The CIA > obtained intelligence from high-value detainees when inside > information on Al Qa’ida was in short supply. Whether this was the > only way to obtain that information will remain a legitimate area of > dispute, with Americans holding a range of views on the methods used.” > > The new interrogation unit announced by the administration, dubbed the > High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group (HIG), will be overseen by the > National Security Council, the top presidential military-foreign > policy body. > > It appears that HIG will oversee a panoply of spy agencies, domestic > and international, engaged in interrogations. It will include at least > the CIA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Deputy White > House Press Secretary Burton told the media the authority will bring > “all these different elements under one group,” and will be based at > FBI headquarters in Washington and led by an FBI official. > > The creation of a White House interrogation authority is typical of > Obama’s moves in “the war on terror” since his inauguration. The > president makes high publicity announcements, creates task forces, > etc., to give the appearance of “change.” In reality, his measures > create a new institutional and legal framework to continue the Bush > administration’s criminal policies of torture, kidnapping, domestic > spying and indefinite detention. > > The entire political establishment is implicated in the anti- > democratic practices of the “war on terror,” including the torture and > murders carried out by the CIA. Leading congressmen and senators of > both parties were given copies of the inspector general’s report > shortly after it was produced five years ago, and it was shown to all > of the members of the House and Senate intelligence committees in > September of 2006. > > Leading Democrats joined with Republicans to suppress the report and > conceal its findings from the public. > > Torture and other violations of basic democratic rights arise > > read more »... --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
