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" Torturing Democracy ", a 90-minute film, from Emmy and DuPont awarding-winning producer Sherry Jones, relies on the documentary record to connect the dots in an investigation of interrogations of prisoners in U.S. custody that became ?at a minimum, cruel and inhuman treatment and, at worst, torture,? in the words of the former general counsel of the United States Navy.
Up to date with the latest revelations, Torturing Democracy details how the government set aside the rule of law in its pursuit of harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists. It features in-depth interviews with numerous senior military and government officials.
With exclusive interviews and little-known archival footage, the documentary traces how the secret U.S. military training program ? ?Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape? or SERE ? became the basis for many of the harshest interrogation methods employed first by the CIA and subsequently by interrogators at Guantanamo and in Iraq.
The documentary also details the experiences of prisoners in U.S. custody, including Shafiq Rasul (Detainee # 086), Moazzam Begg (Detainee #558), and Bisher al-Rawi (Detainee #906) in their own words. All were eventually released, with no charges filed against them and no reason given for their years in custody.
Watch Torturing Democracy
Read the Transcript
Monday, October 27, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Sex uncovered poll: Homosexuality
Sex uncovered poll: Homosexuality
One in five have had sex at work. A third of us lose our virginity before the age of consent. Half of us have had one-night stands. Almost all men are happy with their 'size'. One in four of us think we are very good in bed. Men are more likely to be unfaithful than women. How do you measure up? This special Observer Sex Poll 2008 reveals all ...
While only six per cent of Britons define their sexual orientation as homosexual or bisexual, more than twice that number (13 per cent) of Britons have had some form of sexual contact with someone of the same sex.
Sixteen per cent of women have had sexual contact with another woman, while 10 per cent of men have had sexual contact with another man.
It seems that much of this can be attributed to youthful sexual experimentation as 23 per cent of the 16-24 age group have had sexual contact with someone of the same sex.
Same sex marriage has been legal in the UK since 2005 , but 45 per cent of Britons still feel that gay couples should not be allowed to get married. When the same question was asked in 2002, 50 per cent held this view, but the introduction of the Civil Partnerships Act has only changed the views of five per cent of the population.
Men are significantly more likely than women to oppose same sex marriages (55 per cent compared with 36 per cent).
There is a broad correlation with age in that older Britons are most likely to oppose same sex marriage. However, a significant proportion (37 per cent) of those aged 16-24 also oppose it.
There are other indications that, despite the gradual absorption of gay culture into the mainstream, many Britons still vehemently oppose homosexuality. Fifty-six per cent of the population currently believe that homosexuals should not be allowed to adopt children and 40 per cent believe that the age of consent for homosexual sex should be higher than it is for heterosexual sex.
The answers to both of these questions have changed little since they were previously asked in 2002.
Most striking of all, almost one in four Britons (24 per cent) believe that homosexual sex should be made illegal. The proportion of the population who hold this view has actually increased by one per cent since 2002. As with all of these questions, men are more likely than women to hold a negative view towards homosexuality. There is also some correlation with social class as those in the ABC1 social groups are generally more likely to hold liberal views than those in the C2DE groupings.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/oct/26/relationships
One in five have had sex at work. A third of us lose our virginity before the age of consent. Half of us have had one-night stands. Almost all men are happy with their 'size'. One in four of us think we are very good in bed. Men are more likely to be unfaithful than women. How do you measure up? This special Observer Sex Poll 2008 reveals all ...
While only six per cent of Britons define their sexual orientation as homosexual or bisexual, more than twice that number (13 per cent) of Britons have had some form of sexual contact with someone of the same sex.
Sixteen per cent of women have had sexual contact with another woman, while 10 per cent of men have had sexual contact with another man.
It seems that much of this can be attributed to youthful sexual experimentation as 23 per cent of the 16-24 age group have had sexual contact with someone of the same sex.
Same sex marriage has been legal in the UK since 2005 , but 45 per cent of Britons still feel that gay couples should not be allowed to get married. When the same question was asked in 2002, 50 per cent held this view, but the introduction of the Civil Partnerships Act has only changed the views of five per cent of the population.
Men are significantly more likely than women to oppose same sex marriages (55 per cent compared with 36 per cent).
There is a broad correlation with age in that older Britons are most likely to oppose same sex marriage. However, a significant proportion (37 per cent) of those aged 16-24 also oppose it.
There are other indications that, despite the gradual absorption of gay culture into the mainstream, many Britons still vehemently oppose homosexuality. Fifty-six per cent of the population currently believe that homosexuals should not be allowed to adopt children and 40 per cent believe that the age of consent for homosexual sex should be higher than it is for heterosexual sex.
The answers to both of these questions have changed little since they were previously asked in 2002.
Most striking of all, almost one in four Britons (24 per cent) believe that homosexual sex should be made illegal. The proportion of the population who hold this view has actually increased by one per cent since 2002. As with all of these questions, men are more likely than women to hold a negative view towards homosexuality. There is also some correlation with social class as those in the ABC1 social groups are generally more likely to hold liberal views than those in the C2DE groupings.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/oct/26/relationships
Khadr military commission trial delayed until January
Khadr military commission trial delayed until January
Michael Sung at 11:31 AM ET
[JURIST] A US military judge on Friday rescheduled the trial of Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr [DOD materials; JURIST news archive] for January 26. US Army Col. Patrick Parrish granted the defense's motion for an independent psychological and psychiatric examination [Globe and Mail report], which may determine whether Khadr's prior statements to government investigators could be admitted as evidence in the trial. The delay also means that the trial will not resume until the next US president takes office. Both Republican Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain and Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama have indicated a desire to close detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay. CBC News has more.
Khadr faces possible life imprisonment if convicted of crimes allegedly committed while he was at the age of 15 while fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan [JURIST news archive]. Khadr was charged [charge sheet, PDF; JURIST report] in April 2007 with murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, providing material support for terrorism, and spying.
Michael Sung at 11:31 AM ET
[JURIST] A US military judge on Friday rescheduled the trial of Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr [DOD materials; JURIST news archive] for January 26. US Army Col. Patrick Parrish granted the defense's motion for an independent psychological and psychiatric examination [Globe and Mail report], which may determine whether Khadr's prior statements to government investigators could be admitted as evidence in the trial. The delay also means that the trial will not resume until the next US president takes office. Both Republican Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain and Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama have indicated a desire to close detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay. CBC News has more.
Khadr faces possible life imprisonment if convicted of crimes allegedly committed while he was at the age of 15 while fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan [JURIST news archive]. Khadr was charged [charge sheet, PDF; JURIST report] in April 2007 with murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, providing material support for terrorism, and spying.
Yemen security officials illegally detaining hundreds: HRW
Yemen security officials illegally detaining hundreds: HRW
Michael Sung at 10:00 AM ET
[JURIST] Yemeni security officials have unlawfully and arbitrarily detained hundreds of individuals [press release] as part of its campaign against northern Yemeni rebels since 2004, according to a report [PDF text] released Friday by Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website]. The report found that government security forces sometimes unlawfully arrested individuals who have committed no crime to pressure a wanted family member to surrender, silence journalists, or to put pressure on human rights activists. According to the report:
Human Rights Watch investigated 62 cases of disappearance and arbitrary arrest linked to the Huthi rebellion.... In nearly all of the cases, arresting officials did not identify themselves or inform the detainee or his family why he was being arrested and where he was being taken. The families of persons forcibly disappeared did not know for weeks or months after their arrest whether their loved ones were alive or not, who their captors were, or where they were being held. Some still do not know.
Most detainees, when they reappeared, did so at the Political Security Organization, the security and intelligence agency directly linked to the office of President Saleh, after having been effectively “disappeared” for weeks or months without
acknowledgement of their location. Some remain missing—the earliest unresolved enforced disappearance investigated by Human Rights Watch dates back to June 2007.
Human Rights Watch urged the Yemeni government to establish an independent commission with full authority to investigate the alleged disappearances and unlawful arrests, and prosecute officials and members of security forces involved in the illegal acts. AP has more.
Since 2004, the Yemeni government has been fighting a civil war against Huthi rebels from the Believing Youth Movement [GlobalSecurity backgrounder]. The movement seeks to revive the influence of Zaidi Hashemites imams, which had been previously heavily involved in government in northern Yemen until 1962.
Michael Sung at 10:00 AM ET
[JURIST] Yemeni security officials have unlawfully and arbitrarily detained hundreds of individuals [press release] as part of its campaign against northern Yemeni rebels since 2004, according to a report [PDF text] released Friday by Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website]. The report found that government security forces sometimes unlawfully arrested individuals who have committed no crime to pressure a wanted family member to surrender, silence journalists, or to put pressure on human rights activists. According to the report:
Human Rights Watch investigated 62 cases of disappearance and arbitrary arrest linked to the Huthi rebellion.... In nearly all of the cases, arresting officials did not identify themselves or inform the detainee or his family why he was being arrested and where he was being taken. The families of persons forcibly disappeared did not know for weeks or months after their arrest whether their loved ones were alive or not, who their captors were, or where they were being held. Some still do not know.
Most detainees, when they reappeared, did so at the Political Security Organization, the security and intelligence agency directly linked to the office of President Saleh, after having been effectively “disappeared” for weeks or months without
acknowledgement of their location. Some remain missing—the earliest unresolved enforced disappearance investigated by Human Rights Watch dates back to June 2007.
Human Rights Watch urged the Yemeni government to establish an independent commission with full authority to investigate the alleged disappearances and unlawful arrests, and prosecute officials and members of security forces involved in the illegal acts. AP has more.
Since 2004, the Yemeni government has been fighting a civil war against Huthi rebels from the Believing Youth Movement [GlobalSecurity backgrounder]. The movement seeks to revive the influence of Zaidi Hashemites imams, which had been previously heavily involved in government in northern Yemen until 1962.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
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Saturday, October 11, 2008
U.S. Removes North Korea From Terrorism Blacklist
U.S. Removes North Korea From Terrorism Blacklist
The United States announced that North Korea has agreed to
the Bush administration's nuclear inspection demands and is
being dropped from a U.S. terrorism blacklist.
Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na
The United States announced that North Korea has agreed to
the Bush administration's nuclear inspection demands and is
being dropped from a U.S. terrorism blacklist.
Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na
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