BREAKING: Us admits torture at Guantanamo, Afghanistan, and Iraq

[Phokus]

GENEVA (AFP) - Washington has for the first time acknowledged to the United Nations that prisoners have been tortured at US detention centres in Guantanamo Bay, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq, a UN source said.

The acknowledgement was made in a report submitted to the UN Committee against Torture, said a member of the ten-person panel, speaking on on condition of anonymity.

The US mission to the UN institutions in Geneva was unavailable for comment on the report late Friday..

"They are no longer trying to duck this, and have respected their obligation to inform the UN," the Committee member told AFP, adding that the US described the incidents as "isolated acts" carried out by low-ranking members of the military who were being punished.

"They will have to explain themselves" to the committee, the member said. "Nothing should be kept in the dark."

UN sources said it was the first time the world body has received such a frank statement on torture from US authorities.

The Committee, which monitors respect for the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, is gathering information from the US ahead of hearings in May 2006.

Signatories of the convention are expected to submit to scrutiny of their implementation of the 1984 convention and to provide information to the Committee.

The document from Washington will not be formally made public until the hearings.

"They haven't avoided anything in their answers, whether concerning prisoners in Iraq, in Afghanistan or Guantanamo, and other accusations of mistreatment and of torture," the Committee member said.

"They said it was a question of isolated cases, that there was nothing systematic and that the guilty were in the process of being punished."

The US report said that those involved were low-ranking members of the military and that their acts were not approved by their superiors, the member added.

The US has faced criticism from UN human rights experts and international groups for mistreatment of detainees -- some of whom died in custody -- in Afghanistan and Iraq, particularly during last year's prisoner abuse scandal surrounding the Abu Ghraib facility there.

Scores of US military personnel have been investigated, and several tried and convicted, for abuse of people detained during the US-led campaign against Islamic terrorist groups.

At the Guantanamo Bay naval base, a US toehold in Cuba where around 520 suspects of some 40 nationalities are held, allegations of torture have combined with other claims of human rights breaches.

The US has faced widespread criticism for keeping the Guantanamo detainees in a "legal black hole," notably for its refusal to grant them prisoner of war status and allegedly sluggish moves to charge or try them.

Washington's report to the Committee reaffirms the US position that the Guantanamo detainees are classed as "enemy combatants," and therefore do not benefit from the POW status set out in the Geneva Conventions, the Committee member said.

Four UN human rights experts on Thursday slammed the United States for stalling on a request to allow visits to terrorism suspects held at the Guantanamo Bay naval base, and said they planned to carry out an indirect probe of conditions there.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050624/pl...0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3OXIzMDMzBHNlYwM3MDM-

Of the crooked bush admin does it on a friday when nobody is paying attention :|

 

[EagleKeeper]

Of course a public beheading is not considered torture - therefore there is not explanation required. Burning to death in a 100+ story building is not torture.

Information from POWS not under the Geneva convention can be useful.

Much useful information has been obtained.

Also, we will need to see the exact report to determine what iwas being classified.

People have been working on expanding the definition of the term ever since the first captured person was given access to the media.

 

[PELarson]

Originally posted by: EagleKeeper
Of course a public beheading is not considered torture - therefore there is not explanation required. Burning to death in a 100+ story building is not torture.

Information from POWS not under the Geneva convention can be useful.

Much useful information has been obtained.

Also, we will need to see the exact report to determine what iwas being classified.

People have been working on expanding the definition of the term ever since the first captured person was given access to the media.

Yup.. Bertha we ain't as bad as those others so we should be proud!

Ignore the lives of our military personnel that are being ruined for "just following orders". Ignore the blight being spread on Americas soul by ignoring the Rule of Law.

 

[nageov3t]

well, Friday is take out the trash day...

 

[Martin]

Originally posted by: EagleKeeper
blah blah blah

that was as quick as it was expected.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Now here come the people attempting to justify this.

 

[phillyTIM]

its always funny how admissions are so politicized that they always happen like on a late-afternoon friday, when the lowest amount of people are in touch with the news.

the bush regime has this down to a science, thats for sure.

pretty pathetic.

 

[ValuedCustomer]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Now here come the people attempting to justify this.

"justify"? how 'bout "congratulate"? - these sub-humans are lopping off the heads of our folks and indiscriminatly blowing themselves up (as well as any women, children and other innocents that may be w/in the blast area) and you expect people to feel sympathy for them when we find out that their stay w/ their US captors hasn't been entirely peaches-n-cream? Seriously? - ever heard of "pay-back"? "karma"? how 'bout "you reap what you sow"?

 

[RabidMongoose]

What kind of torture was going on?

 

[Infohawk]

Originally posted by: EagleKeeper
Of course a public beheading is not considered torture - therefore there is not explanation required. Burning to death in a 100+ story building is not torture.

So is your argument that torturing is okay because of what has been done to Americans? Or is there some other purpose to you pointing out this stuff? Also, you seem to consider all muslims to be on some sort of team. Do you consider this to be a war against Islam?

 

[Darkhawk28]

I swear I wonder what SS rank these apologists would've had in the 1930's and 40's.

 

[ValuedCustomer]

Originally posted by: Darkhawk28
I swear I wonder what SS rank these apologists would've had in the 1930's and 40's.

wow.. how original.. more "nazi" allusions from the left.

/zzzzzz

 

[Darkhawk28]

Originally posted by: ValuedCustomer

Originally posted by: Darkhawk28
I swear I wonder what SS rank these apologists would've had in the 1930's and 40's.

wow.. how original.. more "nazi" allusions from the left.

/zzzzzz

Right wing a-holes in apologist mode over vile, disgusting acts...

 

[ValuedCustomer]

Originally posted by: Darkhawk28

Originally posted by: ValuedCustomer

Originally posted by: Darkhawk28
I swear I wonder what SS rank these apologists would've had in the 1930's and 40's.

wow.. how original.. more "nazi" allusions from the left.

/zzzzzz

Right wing a-holes in apologist mode over vile, disgusting acts...

so 70% of the US population are "Right wing a-holes"? - that's weird cuz I thought it was just 52% of 'em..

so tell me, what would you do if someone came up to you and popped you in the mouth? fall back on your sanctimonious morals and just hope the aggressor goes away? maybe you would but 70% of the US population is sick of listening to the terrorist?s "apologists" (that'd be you) try and tell us that it's us who're the bad guys.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Anyone who says, "who cares about these isolated incidents of torture, look what they do to us!" is no better than those we're trying to defeat in this 'war' on 'terror'.

 

[miketheidiot]

Originally posted by: EagleKeeper
Of course a public beheading is not considered torture - therefore there is not explanation required. Burning to death in a 100+ story building is not torture.

they call that murder.

 

[miketheidiot]

Originally posted by: ValuedCustomer

Originally posted by: Darkhawk28

Originally posted by: ValuedCustomer

Originally posted by: Darkhawk28
I swear I wonder what SS rank these apologists would've had in the 1930's and 40's.

wow.. how original.. more "nazi" allusions from the left.

/zzzzzz

Right wing a-holes in apologist mode over vile, disgusting acts...

so 70% of the US population are "Right wing a-holes"? - that's weird cuz I thought it was just 52% of 'em..

so tell me, what would you do if someone came up to you and popped you in the mouth? fall back on your sanctimonious morals and just hope the aggressor goes away? maybe you would but 70% of the US population is sick of listening to the terrorist?s "apologists" (that'd be you) try and tell us that it's us who're the bad guys.

most people unfortunately don't have a clue whats going on. Seeings as some idiots already busted out the nazi allusions, I bet most germans were fine will shipping the jews off to camps.

 

[ValuedCustomer]

Originally posted by: Gigantopithecus
Anyone who says, "who cares about these isolated incidents of torture, look what they do to us!" is no better than those we're trying to defeat in this 'war' on 'terror'.

..and if you believe that then you're as delusional as the terrorists.

/used to say the same sort of idealistic mumbo-jumbo when I was in school

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Originally posted by: ValuedCustomer

Originally posted by: Gigantopithecus
Anyone who says, "who cares about these isolated incidents of torture, look what they do to us!" is no better than those we're trying to defeat in this 'war' on 'terror'.

..and if you believe that then you're as delusional as the terrorists.

/used to say the same sort of idealistic mumbo-jumbo when I was in school

Then what makes you any better than they are? And whose opinion is more juvenile: mine (maintaining the justification for attacking these people - we really are better than they are) or yours (he played dirty first, now I'll play dirty back)?

 

[NeenerNeener]

Originally posted by: ValuedCustomer

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Now here come the people attempting to justify this.

"justify"? how 'bout "congratulate"? - these sub-humans are lopping off the heads of our folks and indiscriminatly blowing themselves up (as well as any women, children and other innocents that may be w/in the blast area) and you expect people to feel sympathy for them when we find out that their stay w/ their US captors hasn't been entirely peaches-n-cream? Seriously? - ever heard of "pay-back"? "karma"? how 'bout "you reap what you sow"?

I certainly do believe in "karma". That's why I think that what is going on isn't making us any safer. Wasn't it us after world war II that we came up with these rules? We wanted an international organization to make sure that torture would not occur. For practical reasons, torture is not an effective means of interrogation. If someone tortured you long enough, you'd admit you wore women's undergarments. Secondly, torturing the other side pretty much guarantees that our guys will get tortured if they are captured.

Haven't you ever stopped to think that these people who are lopping off heads are a small minority of the Muslim people, that want us to get riled up so that we'll fight dirty against the MAJORITY? They're antagonizing a fight between two groups in the name of some stupid religious war; and Bush has played right into it! Perhaps you're the one doing what the terrorists want. You want us to abandon the freedoms and justices that our nation stands for; that people fought for over two hundred years ago. For what? So that you can feel like you're getting some "payback"? Well guess what: over 100,000 of them have died to our 5000. You're getting your payback even without torture. How do you know part of that 100,000 isn't innocent Iraqis? Women and children? How do you know that these people at Abu Ghiraib or Gitmo are all really people we swept off the battlefield. We know that of the former, many were just picked up in random sweeps.

Being emotional and reactionary is not going to help us win a war against terrorists! The whole point of terrorism is to make you feel that way. If we let terrorists get the best of us; if we let ourselves break a few more rules here and there, we'll eventually find that they are wielding OUR power!

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: Gigantopithecus

Originally posted by: ValuedCustomer

Originally posted by: Gigantopithecus
Anyone who says, "who cares about these isolated incidents of torture, look what they do to us!" is no better than those we're trying to defeat in this 'war' on 'terror'.

..and if you believe that then you're as delusional as the terrorists.

/used to say the same sort of idealistic mumbo-jumbo when I was in school

Then what makes you any better than they are? And whose opinion is more juvenile: mine (maintaining the justification for attacking these people - we really are better than they are) or yours (he played dirty first, now I'll play dirty back)?

He isn't any better. Fortunately he is powerless to do harm. A powerless whack job is a frustrated one. I kind of like it

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: Darkhawk28

Originally posted by: ValuedCustomer

Originally posted by: Darkhawk28
I swear I wonder what SS rank these apologists would've had in the 1930's and 40's.

wow.. how original.. more "nazi" allusions from the left.

/zzzzzz

Right wing a-holes in apologist mode over vile, disgusting acts...

Making comparisons to what happened at abu garabe or gitmo to what happened in nazi death camps or russian gulags shows your complete lack of any knowledge of history.

 

[Czar]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: Darkhawk28

Originally posted by: ValuedCustomer

Originally posted by: Darkhawk28
I swear I wonder what SS rank these apologists would've had in the 1930's and 40's.

wow.. how original.. more "nazi" allusions from the left.

/zzzzzz

Right wing a-holes in apologist mode over vile, disgusting acts...

Making comparisons to what happened at abu garabe or gitmo to what happened in nazi death camps or russian gulags shows your complete lack of any knowledge of history.

the comparison is how out of line with the norms the actions were
or thats how I see it

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: Czar

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: Darkhawk28

Originally posted by: ValuedCustomer

Originally posted by: Darkhawk28
I swear I wonder what SS rank these apologists would've had in the 1930's and 40's.

wow.. how original.. more "nazi" allusions from the left.

/zzzzzz

Right wing a-holes in apologist mode over vile, disgusting acts...

Making comparisons to what happened at abu garabe or gitmo to what happened in nazi death camps or russian gulags shows your complete lack of any knowledge of history.

the comparison is how out of line with the norms the actions were
or thats how I see it

Ah yes the slaughter of millions compared to some very minor abuse. And those that did the abusing are now being punished.

You too failed to learn history.

 

[ValuedCustomer]

Originally posted by: Hayabusa Rider

Originally posted by: Gigantopithecus

Originally posted by: ValuedCustomer

Originally posted by: Gigantopithecus
Anyone who says, "who cares about these isolated incidents of torture, look what they do to us!" is no better than those we're trying to defeat in this 'war' on 'terror'.

..and if you believe that then you're as delusional as the terrorists.

/used to say the same sort of idealistic mumbo-jumbo when I was in school

Then what makes you any better than they are? And whose opinion is more juvenile: mine (maintaining the justification for attacking these people - we really are better than they are) or yours (he played dirty first, now I'll play dirty back)?

He isn't any better. Fortunately he is powerless to do harm. A powerless whack job is a frustrated one. I kind of like it

"powerless"? I'm a registered US voter.. someday when you grow up and turn 18 you'll have as much "power" as me! woo-pee!