Posted on 04/14/2006 8:41:06 PM PDT by jmc1969
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld could be criminally liable for the torture of a detainee at Guantanamo Bay in late 2002 and early 2003, Human Rights Watch said today.
A December 20, 2005 Army Inspector General's report, obtained by Salon.com this week, contains a sworn statement by Lt. Gen. Randall M. Schmidt that implicates Secretary Rumsfeld in the abuse of detainee Mohammad al-Qahtani. Based on an investigation that he carried out in early 2005, which included two interviews with Rumsfeld, Gen. Schmidt describes the defense secretary as being "personally involved" in al-Qahtani's interrogation.
Human Rights Watch urges the United States to name a special prosecutor to investigate the culpability of Rumsfeld and others in the al-Qahtani case.
"The question at this point is not whether Secretary Rumsfeld should resign, it's whether he should be indicted," said Joanne Mariner, Terrorism and Counterterrorism Program director at Human Rights Watch. "General Schmidt's sworn statement suggests that Rumsfeld may have been perfectly aware of the abuses inflicted on al-Qahtani."
Gen. Schmidt said that Secretary Rumsfeld was "talking weekly" with Gen. Miller about the al-Qahtani interrogation, and that the secretary of defense was "personally involved in the interrogation of [this] one person."
The Pentagon has acknowledged that al-Qahtani's mistreatment was not unplanned. "Al-Kahtani's interrogation was guided by a very detailed plan.
Human Rights Watch has obtained an unredacted copy of al-Qahtani's interrogation log, and believes that the techniques used during al-Qahtani's interrogation were so abusive that they amounted to torture.
The interrogation log reveals that al-Qahtani was subjected to a regime of physical and mental mistreatment from mid-November 2002 to early January 2003. For six weeks, he was intentionally deprived of sleep, forced into painful physical positions (known as stress positions) and subjected to forced exercises.
(Excerpt) Read more at alertnet.org ...
im glad he's personally involved, if that's an accurate statement. i dont trust any of these damn generals anymore. they all hate him because he's not cowed by them.
This is such a crock of $hit. Last year, Gitmo prisoners gained an average of 10 pounds. They have 3 squares and a warm place to sleep and $hit. Yup, torture alright.
What? No CNN?
These-called abuses in this cae don't amount to torture to me. As for the Generals who have lined up against Rumsfeld...Aren't they the same kiss a$$es who sucked up to Clinton when he was ignoring the military and didn't want to hear from the real warriors?
I was there. Me and old rummy beat the poop outa them irish fellas. Had a heck of a laugh after.
The terrorist lobby checks back in.
"For six weeks, he was intentionally deprived of sleep, forced into painful physical positions (known as stress positions) and subjected to forced exercises, forced standing, and sexual and other physical humiliation."
Sounds like Basic Training.
The sexual humiliation was being called a homosexual. Which is an interesting take from the left - now calling someone a homosexual is akin to torture.
How about challenging REAL human rights violators, like China, Russia, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and Belarus for a change???
If you belive all those self-serving polls conducted by the Lame Stream Old Media, I've got a couple of bridges I'd like to sell you....at a really good price--honest!
Our? LOL, nice try.
mirhamains joined us on 4/5/2006....
Outstanding use of the "Aw Jeez" pic. Very appropriate.
Human Rights Watch is listed as an international community member of the Gay & Lesbian Fund.
Human Rights Watch
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Project
Scott Long
(212) 216-1297
longs@hrw.org
www.hrw.org/lgbt
The provide funding and support for Victory Fund financial cofounded by David Mixner.
http://www.victoryfund.org/clientuploads/documents/Victory_2003_E-Resolution.pdf
Page 25 specifically says The Gay & Lesbian Fund provides financial support to openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender candidates and officials.
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