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Enhanced Interrogation Techniques - A Rose By Any Other Name

by Barbara McPherson | August 27, 2009 at 08:40 am

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Guantanamo Prison Camp is in the news again today with talk revolving aroung "enhanced interrogation techniques". Enhanced interrogation techniques are a bafflgab to deflect the harsh reality of torture. The overseers at the black prison at Guantanamo Bay listed in a banal one to ten listing the enhanced techniqes that could be used to pry information from their captives. Some of the techniqes were borrowed straight from history.

Even when detainees were "waterboarded" — in one case more than 180 times in a single month, using precisely the same techniques as Pol Pot's infamous Khmer Rouge and the Japanese interrogators who were hanged by the U.S. for war crimes after the Second World War — it wasn't considered torture.

Even when some detainees were killed, it wasn't considered torture.

To cite but one example of the reasoning in the memos: "Although the waterboard constitutes a threat of imminent death, prolonged mental harm must nonetheless result to violate the statutory prohibition of infliction of severe mental pain or suffering."

Words are used to cover up the extent and horror of what was going on at Guantanamo Prison Camp. Because the Prison Camp was offshore, administrators were free to flout the basic human rights afforded to anyone by a civilized society. Yes, the times were upsetting and innocent people in the US were killed in a horrible way. It's time like this that the moral fabric of a society is tested. Civilized societies behave in a civilized manner to people and situations that we deplore as well as people and situations that we like.

controlled drownings, beatings, the collaring and slamming of imprisoned men into walls, sleep deprivation for up to eleven days at a time, sustained nude exposure to cold, and confinement in cramped boxes, to name six of the 10 approved techniques.

Enhanced interrogation techniques -- at what point do they stop? Do we use them on people that we "know" is a serial killer? Do we use them on people who we suspect are anarchists within the state? Do we use them on people to prevent criminal action? Where does the enhanced interrogation techniques find a boundary.
Torture is not a way to gain reliable information. It makes the enemy more implacable while giving up the moral high ground. Yesterday another child soldier Mohammed Jawad, was flown back to Afghanistan after the presiding judge threw the case out. Mohammed Jawad was a teenager at the time of his capture. US authorities subjected the captive to a bone scan(radiation) to try to confirm his age at the time. They said 17, his family said 12

US Department of Justice spokesman Dean Boyd said he could not confirm that Jawad was sent home, though a federal judge ordered him released in July. The judge concluded the Government's case against him was an "outrage" and "full of holes".

Jawad had been charged with attempted murder before the special military tribunals at Guantanamo, accused of throwing a grenade into a Jeep carrying the two US Special Forces soldiers and their interpreter in Kabul in December 2002.

Guantanmo Prison Camp needs to be closed down, the people responsible for allowing the torture as well as those who administered it must be brought to light. The American People have to stop ignoring the crimes against humanity that are committed in their name. We know what we thought of those citizens of a European country who said they weren't aware of the prison camps in their country during WWII.

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Amy Judd

at 12:28 on August 27th, 2009

Good piece Barbara.

a211423

at 15:05 on August 27th, 2009

When you have zealots who are willing to send brainwashed young men and women to their death in suicide bombings, why would we presume that torture no matter how cruel, inhumane or horrendous would serve as a deterent. Evolving societies should be setting the precedence for humanitarianism, tolerance and compassion.

a211423

at 15:58 on August 27th, 2009

My comments were in response to the treatment of prisoners and exploitation by terrorist organizations, not to be construed with the policies of war and intervention that have divided America.

I am not going to defend the American occupation of any country where, like you say, thousands have been killed mostly civilians. The U.S. is evolving as long as people continue to question and challenge the decisions of our government when we believe they are wrong.