US Tortured Innocent Man To Extract False Information
Andy Worthington at The Public Record reveals the story of Fouad al-Rabiah, a Gitmo detainee from Kuwait whose release was ordered last week by U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.
In the ruling, to put it bluntly, it was revealed that the US government tortured an innocent man to extract false confessions and then threatened him until he obligingly repeated those lies as though they were the truth.
Among the judge’s conclusions:
Not only did al-Rabiah’s interrogators repeatedly conclude that these same confessions were not believable — which al-Rabiah’s counsel attributes to abuse and coercion, some of which is supported by the record — but it is also undisputed that al-Rabiah confessed to information that his interrogators obtained from either alleged eyewitnesses who are not credible and as to whom the Government has now largely withdrawn any reliance, or from sources that never even existed … If there exists a basis for al-Rabiah’s indefinite detention, it most certainly has not been presented to this Court.
[...]
The record contains evidence that al-Rabiah’s interrogators became increasingly frustrated because his confessions contained numerous inconsistencies or implausibilities. As a result, al-Rabiah’s interrogators began using abusive techniques that violated the Army Field Manual and the 1949 Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. The first of these techniques included threats of rendition to places where al-Rabiah would either be tortured and/or would never be found.
I am ashamed that my country has done this.
It is so……
Go Holder go.
Southern Girl Lib Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Sadly James, a goodly number of our fellow citizens could give a rat’s patooty because he has a funny sounding name, therefore he is not one of “us.”
placefield Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
We all have funny sounding names to somebody.
September 30th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Basically he received worse torture because he was innocent. I guess the moral of this story is if you are being tortured to confess to something you did not do, make sure you make up your confession while you still have the mental capacity to create a story that makes sense. Makes me sick.
September 30th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Ha ha ha ha ha! America tortures people for nothing, and no one is held accountable! Congresscritters run and hide when asked to investigate! Preznit Bozama only “looks ahead” like an octogenarian plowing through a crowded schoolyard in his Oldsmobile!
We are a joke. Might as well laugh.
TDro319 Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 1:36 pm
I really hope the democrats grow a pair and go after the Bush crime family. But I’m afraid Obama will take the Clinton approach and forgive/forget what the Reagan administration did.
I hope I’m wrong.
September 30th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Thank you, George Bush, for making us look like a nation of thugs and assassins to the entire world.
Good job, Brownie.
September 30th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Alan, chooses to imply a broad definition for the word “torture” so as condemn any treatment HE finds offensive. Yet under International Law it defined rather narrowly.
Article 1 of the UN Conference Against Torture (S. Treaty Doc. No. 100-20, 1465 U.N.T.S. 85) defines torture as: “Any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person …”
Since the treaty wasn’t self enacting after Ronald Reagan signed it the Senate further defined torture when they passed enabling legislation. The senate mandated in regards to the Article 1 definition: “United States understands that, in order to constitute torture, an act must be specifically intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering.”.
I will spare you the Vienna definition which came out of the Human Rights Convention which is basically more of the same.
While The Geneva Convention Treaty of 1949 makes several references to banning torture the document appears silent in terms of its definition other than a rather vague reference to “physical suffering” (Part II, Act. 32). And, at any rate, any definition of torture in the GCT might be found in court to be a moot point in view of subsequent definitions.
This subject really needs to be put to rest that is why I support charging BushCo with whatever violations of International Law that may have occurred. Let the prosecutor draw up the charges count by count. What law was violated, who, when and where. Then make the case before a jury.
libpatriot Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
“This subject really needs to be put to rest that is why I support charging BushCo with whatever violations of International Law that may have occurred. Let the prosecutor draw up the charges count by count. What law was violated, who, when and where. Then make the case before a jury.”
Good for you, Bernie. We can’t just sweep this kind of stuff under the rug.
September 30th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
It’s daybreak in America and I dread that as more light is shone on all this we’re going to find this is the tip of just many tips of the icebergs awaiting us. Now that we are finally able to see we must not close our eyes. Like the pictures of torture at Abu Garibe, is this also too macabre and sinister to see the light of day? Will we be able see for ourselves, how corrupt and perverse George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and their neocon exceptionists went to selling out and shaming our country in the name of oil and profits? Or will it lay under the cover of classified secrets and security concerns? Too high up to be held accountable is what seems to be the what’s goin on, and that’s not going to stand with the majority of americans
October 1st, 2009 at 2:51 am
You always forget that technically these people are not covered by the Geneva Convention. They are not associated in uniform of any legitimate country. Now correct me if I am wrong. Torture by the 3rd world countries include, lopping off fingers, hands and other body parts, severe beatings, pulling out finger nails blinding, raping and have the prisoner watch his wife and family raped. Are you suggesting that the USA participates in any of these true torture methods.
Our interagation techniques do not come even close.
jasperjava Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Oh, goody. Kinder, gentler torture. Let’s use third-world standards to gauge our own behavior. “Well, at least we don’t pull out their fingernails! That’s something!” Never mind whether the guy being tortured is actually a terrorist or not…
If you want to live in some third-world torture regime, be my guest. There are dozens to choose from. As for me and other Americans, we’ll try to rejoin the community of civilized nations, thank you very much.
karthiks030977 Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Pontiac:
“Are you suggesting that the USA participates in any of these true torture methods.”
You need to check a dictionary(not a Republican dictionary,a proper dictionary).
You’re confusing torture with barbaric.
The methods you described, AND the methods we used are BOTH true torture methods. One is more barbaric; NEITHER is more or less effective than the other. 0=0 always.
October 1st, 2009 at 12:02 pm
[...] and ZNet. Cross-posted on The Public Record and Common Dreams. Also mentioned by Alan Colmes at Liberaland, Andrew Sullivan on The Atlantic (with an interesting follow-up here) and Scott Horton at [...]
October 4th, 2009 at 6:09 pm