Amnesty Posts Shocking Waterboarding Video

by Jarrett Martineau | May 1, 2008 at 06:00 pm | 415 views | 4 comments

Amnesty International has posted a video ad that condemns 'waterboarding' and torture by graphically depicting it.

For many, such as myself, I'm sure this will be the first time that this horrific action has been visually demonstrated. It is a truly shocking and powerful piece that will likely attract a massive amount of attention and provoke all kinds of discussion.

Watch the Amnesty video here —and please post your comments below. I'd be very interested to hear what NowPublic members think about this anti-torture 'shock & awe' campaign on behalf of human rights.

Amnesty International actually staged a waterboarding session in order to sharpen its campaign against it and beginning in May the commercial will air as a preview in theatres throughout Britain.

“It’s not a stunt, ” insists Sara McNeice of Amnesty. “This constitutes torture. We don’t need to gloss it up, we don’t need to call it an enhanced interrogation technique. It’s torture, it should be illegal it should never be used,” she adds.

Malcolm Nance, a former American military officer, trained personnel to resist water boarding and claims it feels like slow motion murder. He acted as a consultant for Amnesty during the production of the commercial.

“These videos that Amnesty International has put out are pretty realistic, ” says Nance. “These people are being tortured and this is just not how the American public, I’m certain, wanted their government to dishonour themselves,” he says.

Water boarding is now an iconic symbol in what has become known as the 'War on Terror". It is emblematic of the controversy and confusion now surrounding the war itself. The Bush Administration bans the practice of waterboarding for the military, but not intelligence officers which is why Amnesty International says it wants the American public to demand it be banned outright.

“This isn’t about being anti-American or taking an anti-American stance on the issue this is about an anti-torture stance people and the public don’t want to see people being tortured in their name” insists McNeice.

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amyjudd

at 19:32 on May 1st, 2008

I think it will make an impact in how shocking this method of 'discipline' can be. As it is framed in an advertisement, more people will see it and will not have time to react to change the channel as it could happen too fast - forcing them to take note of what the ad is trying to say. I say good for Amnesty International for pushing this issue to the forefront.

Jarrett Martineau

at 19:37 on May 1st, 2008

Thanks for your comment, I wholeheartedly agree.

Rhonda J Mangus

at 20:36 on May 1st, 2008

good stuff:

Jarrett - I agree that this is an anti-torture stance by Amnesty, well-intentioned, and necessary for the reason that US Goverment continues to grant US Intelligence rights to utilize this horrific form of torture that simulates a slow drowning, and violates numerous domestic and international law, including the Geneva Convention which states in part that it agrees not to torture protected persons in armed conflicts (POWs and Enemy Civilians).

Also, I have not read any of Professor Levin's work related to the 'philosophical question' of 'when and if torture is justified'. The question is both a moral and ethical question, and both must be taken into consideration. Levin appears split on his position. If you read his remarks closely, in one breath: "There have to be firm rules, ...protect the innocent,...non-punitive," and in the next: "I don't see how you can honestly say that there are techniques you just can't use to save thousands of innocent lives, it just seems absurd,". It would appear then that Professor Levin did not take into consideration (foremost) the moral rightness or wrongness of the action. Again, my opinion is based only on his statement, not any of his 'work'.

At this link http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=222370, an article is presented by Father Gerald Coleman, S.S. Is 'waterboarding' interrogation immoral? (4/16/2008); bottom line both immoral and unethical.

Thanks for posting this very important story. I am against any form of torture and I do support Amnesty International and its work to bring to the attention of the public the atrocities of war.

Karen Hatter

at 20:50 on May 1st, 2008

good stuff:

It's incredulous and dishonest that the government is attempting to call this an 'enhanced interrogation' technique. Torture by any other name ....

The illconceived ploy. Change the terminology and maybe no one will think it's torture if it's called something else. Then again, it has worked in other cases so, someone must have thought it was worth a shot.