'Confidential' Red Cross torture report details 'suffocation' and head-smashing of detainees.

'Confidential' Red Cross torture report details 'suffocation' and head-smashing of detainees.

thinkprogress.org

The report’s conclusion reads: “The allegations of ill treatment of the detainees indicate that, in many cases, the ill treatment to which they were subjected while held in the C.I.A. program, either singly or in combination, constituted torture.” Previously, the Bush administration had attempted to conceal harsh treatment from the Red Cross.

(visit the link for the full news article)

A real shame a great nation is let down by the people they elect is all I can conclude from this article.

“I was taken out of my cell and one of the interrogators wrapped a towel around my neck; they then used it to swing me around and smash me repeatedly against the hard walls of the room.”

One of the poor innocent (note extreme sarcasm) tells quite a story, I believe they deserved punishment but to this extent?

I thought we fought for the good side, a shame that what a few are allowed to do spoils the name of so many good men. I also would certainly be worried about having these veterans of torture in my neighbourhood.


thinkprogress.org
(visit the link for the full news article)

I don't know how reliable that source is, but I find atleast one of the accounts kind of unbelievable.

One said he was force to stand almost continually for a month.

For someone in above peak physical health this would be just about impossible to accomplish. The body would give out due to exhaustion.

Ask David Blaine how he felt after just 35 hours of standing on a platform during his vertigo stunt.

You forget that the CIA has agreements with many foreign nations, and when a Prisoner-of-War (as is such in this matter) is taken captive, often times the CIA will allow for their Nation of Residence or Origin to Interrogate them. If we (The U.S.) have no such agreement with their Nation of Origin/Residence, then they will most likely be taken to the closest Nation (in distance) which does have such an agreement.

Yes, some of these Nations have more "questionable" tactics of Interrogation than we do, but that is considered to be of a secondary nature in regards to the information which might be attained in the process.

I dare say however, that the worst "torture" which American Citizens take part in involves Sleep Deprivation, and Water Boarding. In so far as I can tell, we as a Nation stay away from Physical Torture, and instead resort to Psychological forms of such. Thus is the reasoning for why you hear such American Techniques referred to as "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques", because they truly fall short of the harsh realities of actual "Torture".

We should never overuse the word "Torture", because then it cheapens and weakens the outcry over actual usage of such.

We use harsher methods on Soldiers (SERE) then we use on enemy combatents. Why are there no out pouring support to end SERE training?

"To catch a monster you have to become a monster" springs to mind.
Not that i think its right.

I know this isnt a popular opinion,or very P.C..

If a series of torture\s that are done with 100% certainty that the prisoner has vital intel that will twart a serious mass casualty attack on U.S soil..Well I'm all for it..If its done just to do it well theres a problem of course..

Remember hind sight is 20/20..
Say a prisoner was know to have info pertaining to the events of 911,would you be against a rough interogation to get it out of them?? Most would say,wheres the bamboo shutes??

That circumstance will happen again in history..

it has long been know that AL Qaeda jihadist are trained to claim torture and mistreatment as part of AL qaeda propaganda campaign


quote from the jihadwatch site
www.jihadwatch.org...

The eighteenth lesson, titled "Prisons and Detention Centres," provides information to jihadist if they are captured and face trial; including instructions that encourage 'fighters' to claim torture and mistreatment while in prison and resort to hunger strikes if possible.

suffocation
water boarding only makes it FEEL like you are suffocating.

it is used to train the US military in SERE school.
where US service people are trained in how to resist interrogation.
en.wikipedia.org...

Resistance and escape

Training on how to survive and resist the enemy in the event of capture is largely based on the experiences of past American and allied prisoners of war. The bulk of this aspect of the course is secret. Several official websites, however, give a general overview. Official sources insist that SERE students are not themselves taught how to apply coercive techniques or interrogate prisoners since most are aircrew who would not normally be involved in handling enemy POWs.

They teach you that you are not really suffocating but just think you are.

Once a service person knows this the technique is unless.

Al Qaeda jihadist are not train in this so they "believe" they are suffocating.

trainee SERE school 1971

Originally posted by TheAgentNineteen
I dare say however, that the worst "torture" which American Citizens take part in involves Sleep Deprivation, and Water Boarding.

It's still torture and it is illegal.

The United States prosecuted Japanese military officers for waterboarding in the past.

In so far as I can tell, we as a Nation stay away from Physical Torture, and instead resort to Psychological forms of such. Thus is the reasoning for why you hear such American Techniques referred to as "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques", because they truly fall short of the harsh realities of actual "Torture".

Psychological forms of such are still considered torture as defined and contemplated by US law (18 USC §2340)

We should never overuse the word "Torture", because then it cheapens and weakens the outcry over actual usage of such.

And wherever and whenever torture happens, we should never ignore it or re-label it to try to pass it off as acceptable, as it cheapens and weakens our democracy.

I read about this earlier..................

Also 2 weeks ago, I took a course that was "Humanitarian Law" of the Red Cross, it was a course for Red Cross volunteers and management to learn about "Humanitarian Law" and how the Red Cross creates confidential reports after visiting the detainees that go to the "host" country of the detainee and the detainee's country.

The International Council of the Red Cross is NOT ALLOWED to release the reports until "after the armed conflict is over". I stated in the class...................... well................. "We will NEVER have released reports, because the "WAR on Terror will NEVER be OVER".

The instructor, didn't say a word...................

It was a very interesting class, about how the Red Cross is who tries to make sure all Prisoners of War are treated as the Geneva Convention is written.

It was a VERY Heated............. class also,,,,,,, there were a few who "justified" what the U.S. is doing.......... in many ways, though the discussion of the U.S. and gitmo was not part of the structure of the class, it came up anyway.

I won't go into many details................... but lets put it this way............... one person had something to say in "justification"..................... BUT my rebuttal to that.................. got many in the class "Clapping"!

I wasn't going to sit back, and have it justified, what we are doing in the world!

EDIT - S AND F FOR YOU!!

[edit on 16-3-2009 by questioningall]

story made it to MSNBC
www.msnbc.msn.com...

The 14 detainees, who had been kept in isolation in CIA prisons overseas, gave remarkably uniform accounts of abuse that included beatings, sleep deprivation, extreme temperatures and, in some cases, waterboarding, or simulating drowning.

Often using the detainee's own words, the report offers a harrowing view of conditions at the secret prisons, where prisoners were told they were being taken "to the verge of death and back," according to one excerpt. During interrogations, the captives were routinely beaten, doused with cold water and slammed head-first into walls. Between sessions, they were stripped of clothing, bombarded with loud music, exposed to cold temperatures, and deprived of sleep and solid food for days on end. Some detainees described being forced to stand for days, with their arms shackled above them, wearing only diapers.

"On a daily basis . . . a collar was looped around my neck and then used to slam me against the walls of the interrogation room," the report quotes detainee Tawfiq bin Attash, also known as Walid Muhammad bin Attash, as saying. Later, he said, he was wrapped in a plastic sheet while cold water was "poured onto my body with buckets." He added: "I would be wrapped inside the sheet with cold water for several minutes. Then I would be taken for interrogation."

reply to post by Redpillblues


Yeah I would support some hefty strategy for that inquisition, but breaking a CIA operative is gonna be a wee bit harder than squeezing a terror suspect I think, and that would be the fellow to look for 9/11 info from. I mean who else would know how a cruise missile ended up in the pentagon? And how it magicaly turned into a plane ? And how the "debris" from said plane , was actualy from a totaly different make of aircraft to what was reported to have hit the building? Yeah I say torture the sucker till he squeals on that one, but dont you dare question anyone outside your own forces with those methods. That makes you the least friendly thing since Charlie Mansons welcome mat.

reply to post by MrAnonUK


Wow, this is brutal. I must say in this day and age it doesn't surprise me much. No matter what a person has done (well to a certain extent) they don't deserve this treatment. I sort of want to believe that the UK, US, Canada, etc is above this sort of thing, but it's a hard thing to believe nowadays.

Sad, we're getting just as bad as them when we pull this crap.