A Little Honesty
As I began reading this much abbreviated report, I like many other people felt sad, disgusted and angry. The horrifying details of this report require real answers and not just for the people of this nation but for the people globally. This report does not simply effect 119 people because that unfortunately is not the reality of the situation. 54 countries played a part in the abuses described in the CIA Torture Report. Many detainees who were released have even openly stated these abuses are still live and active today. Honest investigative journalism brought down the claims that torture was not being done in secret prisons long ago as Jeremy Scahill found evidence that these practices were still in play even in 2011.
(The CIA's Secret Sites in Somalia)
Where did you hide them all?
Have you ever heard the term Black Site? It is a military
term for an unacknowledged “Black Project” or better known as a prison operated
by the United States CIA. These prisons are generally operated outside of US
legal jurisdiction and they were acknowledged by President Bush in a speech he
made on September 6, 2006. Many countries that were exposed in the torture
report have constantly denied being a host country to these prisons. In many writing
that have previously gone unacknowledged or even discredited by missing or
abducted persons families laid claim to their family members being taken and
placed in secret prisons worldwide. A good example to refer to would be Dr. Aafia
Siddiqui who simply disappeared as the story is told by her sister and family.
The Guantanamo Lie
In
a video published on August 13, 2014 two Vice News Reporters were given access
to Guantanamo Prison. The Department of Defense told Vice News that they were
more open to the media’s presence then they had previously been in the past. With
the claims that Guantanamo had a new mission to be transparent I was surprised by
what I was able and not able to see in this 27 minute video. If you pay close attention
to the little details you will find that although some things have indeed
changed others have not and it does raise concern and give some validity to
claims that torturous procedures are still taking place today. (Vice News Guantanamo: Blacked Out Bay)
Former Guantanamo Detainee:
Torture and Writing New Laws
Waterboarding, rectal feeding, beating, slapping, kicking, stripping, sleep depriving, placed in diapers, chained in positions that are painful and impossibly cumbersome, confined in boxes, left in the dark, humiliated and left in states of hallucination, begging for death and even frozen to death. A short but brutal horrifying list of the some of the procedures described in the Torture Report. Human beings faced inexcusable acts of brutality at the hands of people not properly trained to interrogate with ideas formed on dark harmful psychology whom also were not properly trained to investigate nor interrogate situations such as these. In reading this report I ask myself these questions:
On September 14, 2001 The Authorization for use of Military Force was passed by the United States Congress (PDF PLAW107) , The
authorization granted the President the authority to use all" necessary
and appropriate force" against those whom he determined "planned,
authorized, committed or aided" the September 11th attacks, or who
harbored said persons or groups. What and who defines appropriate? I am not a
lawyer but I can read and if the claim is that no one in Congress knew what was
happening to these detainees I am going to call your bluff because according to
this you approved all means of force.
Torture in all forms was banned by the 1948 Universal
Declaration of Human Rights in which the United States participated in drafting.
International law states that we must protect all citizens from terrorists. The
fundamental of all human rights is the right to life. Acts of terror are considered
crimes against humanity and these are generally punishable by death or long
term prison sentences which do not include the right to torture. Torture in and
of itself is a crime and the practice of it needs accountability and punishment
for the use thereof. These actions demand and require accountability. If one
can simply be pardoned as mainstream media has suggested then other nations facing
similar charges under international law should receive the same pardon. I mean
why bother holding anyone accountable at all? It is time for all Nations to
come clean and report their abuses and abide by International Law once and for
all, to do away will all practices that defeat the very principles in which we
proclaim to live by. If the United States is the leader in all international
matters and in times of trouble the US is the one looked to for support and as
an example, than lead now and do the right thing.
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