background preloader

Torture

Facebook Twitter

Man allegedly tortured by US and UK troops wins right to sue for damages | Law. The high court has dismissed the government’s claim that Britain’s relations with the US would be damaged if a Pakistani citizen who says he was tortured by British and American troops was allowed to sue for damages in court. British courts would be failing in their duty if they did not deal with the claims even if that involved the court finding that US officials acted unlawfully, Mr Justice Leggatt ruled on Wednesday. “If it is necessary to adjudicate on whether acts of US personnel were lawful … in order to decide whether the defendants violated the claimant’s legal rights, then the court can and must do so,” he said. He added: “For the court to refuse to decide a case involving a matter of legal right on the ground that vindicating the right would be harmful to state interests would seem to me to be an abdication of its constitutional function.”

The Libyan couple were abducted and secretly rendered to Tripoli in a joint MI6-CIA operation in 2004. Camp Nama: British personnel reveal horrors of secret US base in Baghdad. British soldiers and airmen who helped to operate a secretive US detention facility in Baghdad that was at the centre of some of the most serious human rights abuses to occur in Iraq after the invasion have, for the first time, spoken about abuses they witnessed there. Personnel from two RAF squadrons and one Army Air Corps squadron were given guard and transport duties at the secret prison, the Guardian has established.

And many of the detainees were brought to the facility by snatch squads formed from Special Air Service and Special Boat Service squadrons. Codenamed Task Force 121, the joint US-UK special forces unit was at first deployed to detain individuals thought to have information about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. Suspects were brought to the secret prison at Baghdad International airport, known as Camp Nama, for questioning by US military and civilian interrogators. The abuses they say they saw include: • Prisoners being subjected to electric shocks. Is Solitary Confinement Torture? Exonerated Death Row Inmate Opens Up About "Animal" Prison Treatment.

“It was hell. It was torture every day,” said Anthony Graves, an exonerated death row inmate and activist, of the almost ten years he spent in solitary confinement. Graves opened up about the personal horror he faced in solitary during an interview with host Alyona Minkovski on HuffPost Live. “You’re caged in like an animal. You’re in a little eight-by-twelve foot cage, and you’re just existing. Researchers from the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics estimate that there are 80,000 prisoners currently being held in restrictive housing in the United States. “It breaks your will to live. Joining Graves and Minkovski to discuss whether solitary confinement is a form of torture were Andy Stepanian, a publicist at the Sparrow Project and HuffPost blogger, Azadeh Zohrabia, a Soros Justice fellow whose brother is currently in solitary confinement, Bonnie Kerness, the founder of American Friends Service Committee, and Shane Bauer, an investigative journalist.

In an Iranian Prison, Tortured by Solitude. Oakland, Calif. AT 5:15 p.m. I found myself pacing compulsively back and forth across my 10-foot-by-14-foot cell in Iran’s Evin prison, muttering reassurances to myself and kneading my nervous hands together into one fat fist. “Don’t worry,” I told myself, “this is probably your last day alone, they can’t just let you go crazy in here.” It was 2009 and the beginning of winter. I had been in prison in Iran — along with my fiancé, Shane Bauer, and our friend Josh Fattal — since the summer, when we were arrested and charged with espionage after hiking somewhere near the country’s unmarked border with Iraqi Kurdistan.

It’s impossible to exaggerate how much the company of another human being means when you’ve been cut off from the world and stripped of your rights and freedom. After two months with next to no human contact, my mind began to slip. Amy Fettig at the American Civil Liberties Union told me: “In the U.S. we use solitary as a routine prison administrative practice. UN to investigate civilian deaths from US drone strikes | World news. The United Nations is to set up a dedicated investigations unit in Geneva early next year to examine the legality of drone attacks in cases where civilians are killed in so-called "targeted" counter-terrorism operations. The announcement was made by Ben Emmerson QC, a UN special rapporteur, in a speech to Harvard law school in which he condemned secret rendition and waterboarding as crimes under international law. His forthright comments, directed at both US presidential candidates, will be seen as an explicit challenge to the prevailing US ideology of the global war on terror.

Earlier this summer, Emmerson, who monitors counter-terrorism for the UN, called for effective investigations into drone attacks. Some US drone strikes in Pakistan may amount to war crimes, Emmerson warned. In his Harvard speech, he said: "If the relevant states are not willing to establish effective independent monitoring mechanisms … then it may in the last resort be necessary for the UN to act. "... Torture Creep - By Amy Zegart | Rights & Liberties. Cameron demands full inquiry into secret services' involvement in torture | Law.

David Cameron today called for a full inquiry into British intelligence agencies' involvement in torture amid mounting concern that they may be guilty of serious breaches of international law. The Tory leader said that an existing inquiry into the mistreatment of one man, Binyam Mohamed, would not go far enough and insisted that there was a pressing need for an inquiry led by a judge.

"The attorney general is going to be looking at whether a crime has been committed, quite rightly, but isn't really looking at our moral authority and whether it's been maintained," Cameron told the Commons during prime minister's question time. A brief but wider inquiry would be necessary – whether criminal charges were brought against any individual or not – to establish whether "we had acted properly at all times".

One man, detained in Pakistan after a British-led counter-terrorism operation, was deported to the UK 13 months later with three of his fingernails missing. Lawyers to boycott UK torture inquiry as rights groups label it a sham | World news. The government's plans for an inquiry into the UK's role in torture and rendition after 9/11 are in disarray after human rights groups queued up to denounce it as a sham and lawyers for the victims said they were boycotting the hearings. Their anger was prompted by the publication of the detailed terms of references and protocols under which the inquiry will be run by Sir Peter Gibson, a retired judge. It showed that key hearings will be held in secret and the cabinet secretary will have the ultimate say over what the public will and will not learn.

Individuals subjected to rendition and torture during the so-called war on terror will not be permitted to ask questions of MI5 or MI6 officers and the inquiry will not seek any evidence from foreign intelligence agencies, such as the CIA, about British involvement in the torture and abuse of detainees. Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, said: "When is an inquiry not an inquiry? When it's a secret internal review. UK's secret policy on torture revealed | Politics. A top-secret document revealing how MI6 and MI5 officers were allowed to extract information from prisoners being illegally tortured overseas has been seen by the Guardian. The interrogation policy – details of which are believed to be too sensitive to be publicly released at the government inquiry into the UK's role in torture and rendition – instructed senior intelligence officers to weigh the importance of the information being sought against the amount of pain they expected a prisoner to suffer.

It was operated by the British government for almost a decade. A copy of the secret policy showed senior intelligence officers and ministers feared the British public could be at greater risk of a terrorist attack if Islamists became aware of its existence. "For instance, it is possible that in some circumstances such a revelation could result in further radicalisation, leading to an increase in the threat from terrorism. " It also: British government's secret interrogation policy | Law. Human Rights Group pull out of torture inquiry. ''As you know, we were keen to assist the inquiry in the vital work of establishing the truth about allegations that UK authorities were involved in the mistreatment of detainees held abroad. ''Our strong view, however, is that the process currently proposed does not have the credibility or transparency to achieve this. ''If the inquiry proceeds on this basis, therefore, and in light of indications from the lawyers acting for former detainees that they will not be participating, we do not intend to submit any evidence or attend any further meetings with the inquiry team.'' The letter was signed by campaigners the Aire centre, Amnesty International, British Irish Rights Watch, Cageprisoners, Freedom from Torture, Human Rights Watch, Justice, Liberty, Redress and Reprieve.

A second letter written jointly by Imran Khan and solicitors who represent former Guantanamo Bay detainees also confirmed their intention to pull out. Uganda: Torture, Extortion, Killings by Police Unit. (Kampala) - The Ugandan police Rapid Response Unit frequently operates outside the law, carrying out torture, extortion, and in some cases, extrajudicial killings, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Ugandan authorities should urgently open an independent investigation into the unit's conduct and activities and hold accountable anyone responsible for human rights violations, Human Rights Watch said. The 59-page report, "Violence Instead of Vigilance: Torture and Illegal Detention by Uganda's Rapid Response Unit," documents the unit's illegal methods of investigation and serious violations of the rights of the people it arrests and detains.

The unit has a history of violent and unlawful operations since it was formed by President Yoweri Museveni in 2002 as Operation Wembley, an ad-hoc security entity commanded by an active member of the Ugandan military. Later, the unit became the Violent Crime Crack Unit and was formally taken under police command. Alpha Conde’s Abu Ghraib: “Torture in Guinea, Force Replaces Law” « GUINEA OYE! The three Guinean NGOs involved in this report are the Guinean Organization for the Defence of Human Rights (OGDH), The Same Rights for All (MDT) and the Association of Victims, Relatives and Friends of September 28, 2009 (AVIPA). [The full report can be found here in French] Dr Saeed Al Samahiji | DoctorsInChains.org.

Dr Al Samahiji Dr Saeed Mudhaher Habib Al Samahiji, age 57 and a father of two, is a Consultant Ophthalmologist who was working in the Samlaniya Medical Complex (SMC). He graduated in medicine in 1980, then specialised in Ophthalmology in 1982, and in 1983 he completed a subspecialty course in sclera plasty surgery for myopia. Dr Saeed Al Samahiji is a member of the following: the Bahrain Medical Society. the Pan Arab African Council of Ophthalmology (PAACO). the Pan Arab Societies of Ophthalmology (PASO). the British Royal College of Ophthalmology. the American Academy of Ophthalmology. the Cataract and Refractive Society of European Surgeons. the Council Board of Is Town Consumer Co-Operative Society. He has also served on the following boards and committees: He was nominated for a certificate and shield of appreciation from the Bahrain Medical Society for his diligence and dedication in medicine during 30 years of his work.

Dr Al Samahiji with family Then the officer left the ambergris. New Report Reveals: In Israel's Health Care System Covering Up Torture and Ill Treatment is the Norm | הוועד הציבורי נגד עינויים בישראל. Marange diamond field: Zimbabwe torture camp discovered. 8 August 2011Last updated at 06:40 By Hilary Andersson BBC Panorama Marange could represent as much as a fifth of the world's diamonds deposits A torture camp run by Zimbabwe's security forces is operating in the country's rich Marange diamond fields, BBC Panorama has found.

The programme heard from recent victims who told of severe beatings and sexual assault. The claims come as the European Union pushes to let some banned diamonds from the country led by President Robert Mugabe back onto world markets. The Zimbabwean government has not responded to the BBC's findings. In an internal document seen by the BBC, the EU said it was confident that two mines in the area now meet international standards and it wants diamonds from those areas to be immediately approved for export, which would partially lift a trade ban dating back to 2009. 'Forty whips' The main torture camp uncovered by the programme is known locally as "Diamond Base". All the released prisoners the BBC spoke to requested anonymity. Medieval methodologies: Hidden police torture cell discovered by raiding team – The Express Tribune - DPO dismis­ses 2 cops for questi­oning prison­ers in secret interr­ogatio­n room.

District Police Officer (DPO) Bilal Sadiq Kamiyana issued orders on Saturday for a police team to raid the hotel and uncover the torture den. Two police officials were dismissed from service for running a torture cell behind a hotel in Sialkot. According to a guard at the police station, an anonymous caller tipped off the District Police Officer (DPO) about the torture cell. “Everyone in the police station was in on it because the prisoners were brought and taken from the cell in a police van,” said a hotel employee. “We don’t know if the hotel owners knew about the cell but we were instructed never to interfere with the police business and let them through by the back entrance,” he added.

District Police Officer (DPO) Bilal Sadiq Kamiyana issued orders on Saturday for a police team to raid the hotel and uncover the torture den. EFF Action: Chinese dissident writer Du Daobin may face imprisonment and torture for trying to hold Cisco accountable. | Rights & Liberties. Indonesia torture case vs Exxon Mobil revived. Treatment or Torture? Applying International Human Rights Standards to Drug Detention Centers | Public Health Program. Download Files Download the 72-page report. 3.45 MB pdf People identified as drug users in many countries are confined to abusive locked detention centers for months or even years.

Such detention centers are supposedly mandated to treat and "rehabilitate" drug users, but the "treatment" they receive in some cases amounts to torture or other cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment. In Treatment or Torture? Applying International Human Rights Standards to Drug Detention Centers, legal experts review common forms of abuse in drug detention centers and show how these practices in many cases are in violation of basic human rights treaties widely ratified by most nations worldwide. International health and drug-control agencies—including the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, UNAIDS, and the World Health Organization—all endorse comprehensive, evidence-based drug dependence treatment services. Treatment or Torture? The Dirty Secret About 'Clean' Torture. “Confess or be ready to die”: UN Report Pummels US Ally Afghanistan on Torture. NATO stops sending prisoners to Afghan jails over torture fears | Rights & Liberties.

Sontag_torture.pdf (application/pdf Object) Religion people oppose torture : Thoughts from Kansas.

USA & torture

Iraqi Torture Scandal Touches Highest Levels of NATO | Truthout. U.S. Practiced Torture After 9/11, Nonpartisan ... Former Guantánamo Prisoner Who Alleged US Torture, Drugging, Sentenced by Algerian Authorities | Truthout. Victims of U.S. Torture Respond to the New Terror-Detainee Report - Andrew Cohen. Globalizing Torture: CIA Secret Detention and Extraordinary Rendition.

Exclusive: As Gitmo Turns 11, Al Jazeera’s Sami al-Hajj on 6-Year Ordeal of U.S. Detention, Torture | Rights & Liberties. Omar Awadh and the outsourcing of torture | Clara Gutteridge. Mother of American Torture Victim José Padilla Brings Case Before International Human Rights Tribunal. The Only CIA Officer Scheduled to Go to Jail Over Torture Never Tortured Anybody | The Dissenter | Rights & Liberties. CIA 'tortured and sodomised' terror suspect, European court rules | Law. New York's Black Sites. "The Terror Courts": An Inside Look at Rough Justice, Torture at Guantánamo Bay | Rights & Liberties. Timeline: How Obama Compares to Bush on Torture, Surveillance and Detention. The Torturer's Apprentice. Why Torture Doesn't Work: A Critique of Alan Dershowitz' Case for Torture, by Jack Rabbit.