Torturing Democracy

" 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.

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