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Torture Confirmed by Bush Official

By possum

Judge Susan Crawford is the senior official in the Bush administration charged with reviewing administration policies and actions toward detainees at Guantanamo Bay.  Crawford refused to refer al-Qahtani's case for prosecution saying

His treatment met the legal definition of torture.

The techniques they used were all authorized, but the manner in which they applied them was overly aggressive and too persistent.

What many have said for a long time is confirmed by a ranking official speaking from her position as a judge and a legal analyst.

Military prosecutors said in November that they would seek to refile charges against al-Qahtani, 30, based on subsequent interrogations that did not employ harsh techniques.

But Crawford has said she will not allow the prosecution to proceed.  

The difficulties posed in bringing detainees to trial is exemplified in cases such as this of al-Qahtani.  If the administration adhered to the legal rules of detention in the first place this may have been avoided.

In other Guantanamo news of the day, the Pentagon claims as many as 61 previous detainees have returned to fight again.  Civil rights activist and lawyer Jennifer Daskal pointed out the need for real evidence to support these claims.

Until enough information is provided to allow the press and the public to verify these claims, they need to be viewed with a healthy degree of skepticism

The truth is a slippery item these days with the Pentagon and the Bush administration.

Peace.

Full post as published by Never In Our Names on January 14, 2009 (boomark / email).