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| Articles about Torture |
| The "How to Self Torture One's Testicles" Offensive | | 2008-07-03 06:00:00 | | Yeah, I know, the title of this post is rather offensive, but to be honest, so is the rest of the post so if you are one of those squeamish sissy types, then you may want to click over to this place instead.For the rest of you, I am glad you aren't a sissy, because for the first time in The Offended Blogger's history I am taking you deep into the dark recesses of my Google Analytics keyword searches.Yep, I decided that I shouldn't suffer the psychological damage alone when I have you, my #1 fan | | By: The Offended Blogger | | |
| | National summit on torture - September 11-12, 2008 | | 2008-07-01 15:04:00 | | Received via email today, 7/1/08 To Supporters of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture Dear Friends:On September 11-12, 2008, Evangelicals for Human Rights, with the National Religious Campaign Against Torture and Mercer University, will host a national summit on torture in Atlanta, GA, on the campus of Mercer University. Featuring some of the nation's top thinkers and leaders in the anti-torture community, this conference is co-sponsored by an unprecedented group of organizations. We invite you to be a part of this two day inter-faith event. We will examine the journey of the United States, since September 11, 2001, from a nation that championed human rights, albeit imperfectly, to a nation that publicly acknowledges and supports the use of torture. Obviously, for people of faith, the journey does not end here. Speakers and participants will also explore the path of return to once again becoming a nation that leads the world in the protection of human rights. Religious Fa | | By: Poetry Where You Live | | |
| | ENDORSE A DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES FOR A PRESIDENTIAL EXECUTIVE ORDER BANNING TORTURE | | 2008-06-25 18:38:00 | | TORTURE IS A MORAL ISSUEENDORSE A DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES FOR A PRESIDENTIAL EXECUTIVE ORDER BANNING TORTURE Dear NRCAT Supporters:NRCAT, in alliance with Evangelicals for Human Rights and the Center for Victims of Torture, launched an effort today that calls upon the President to issue an executive order banning torture based on six core principles embodied in a Declaration of Principles. We are calling this effort the "Campaign to Ban Torture." Prominent faith leaders from Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh communities, as well top officials from every Administration since the 1970s, have joined together to endorse the Declaration of Principles. The success of this effort depends upon thousands of people of faith and other opponents of torture joining together to endorse the Declaration of Principles. Your endorsement will help end U.S.-sponsored torture. We urge you to endorse the Declaration. We also ask that you:- Urge five friends to endorse;- Urge mem | | By: Poetry Where You Live | | |
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| 25 Ways To Torture Your Roommate At Christmas | | 2008-06-16 07:59:01 | | 1. Claim you were a Christmas tree in your former life. If s/he tries to bring one into the room, scream bloddy murder and thrash on the floor.2. Go to the mall with your roomate and sit on Santa’s lap. Refuse to get off.3. Wear a Santa suit all the time. Deny you’re wearing it.4. Sit in a corner in the fetal position rocking back and forth chanting, “Santa Claus is coming to town, Santa Claus is coming to town....”5. Hang mistle-toe in the doorway. When your roomate enters or leaves the room, plant a wet one on his/her lips.6. Hang a stocking with your roomates name on it. Collect coal and sharp objects in it. If s/he asks, say “you’ve been very naughty this year.”7. Paint your nose red and wear antlers. Constantly complain about how you never get to join in on the reindeer games.8. Make conversation out of Christmas Carols. (i.e. “You know, I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus underneath the mistle-toe last night.”)9. Wrap yourself in Christmas lights and roll around in | | By: Stupid Tips | | |
| | Ethiopia: Army Commits Executions, Torture, and Rape in Ogaden | | 2008-06-12 14:22:00 | | Donors Should Act to Stop Crimes Against Humanity(Nairobi, June 12, 2008) – In its battle against rebels in eastern Ethiopia’s Somali Region, Ethiopia's army has subjected civilians to executions, torture, and rape, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. The widespread violence, part of a vicious counterinsurgency campaign that amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity, has contributed to a looming humanitarian crisis, threatening the survival of thousands of ethnic Somali nomads.The 130-page report "Collective Punishment: War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity in the Ogaden Area of Ethiopia's Somali Regional State," documents a dramatic rise in unchecked violence against civilians since June 2007, when the Ethiopian army launched a counterinsurgency campaign against rebels who attacked a Chinese-run oil installation. The Human Rights Watch report provides the first in-depth look at the patterns of abuse in a conflict that remains virtually unknown because | | By: Tingplik Express | | |
| | Repent! America's Mountain Of Sin Will Bring The Judgment of God: Pornography, Abortion, Sexual Sin, Divorce, Murder, Greed, Torture & Child Abuse | | 2008-06-12 11:24:00 | | For decades men of God have gone across this nation warning that the huge mountain of sin that America was building would bring the judgment of God.But has America repented? No! Instead this nation has treated God's patience with contempt and has indulged in ever increasing sin year after year. Our nation is full of evil and wickedness.....Pornography:http://www.blazinggrace.org/cms/bg/pornstatsAbortion - (We have killed over 40 million babies)http://www.lifesitenews.com/abortiontypes/Homosexualityhttp://www.traditioninaction.org/HotTopics/a02rStatistcs.htmlEvolutionhttp://shatteredparadigm.blogspot.com/2008/06/evolution-why-it-is-lie-science-points.htmlTorturehttp://www.whatreallyhappened.com/torture.htmlDUhttp://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20Government/depleted_uranium.htmChild abuse, especially child sexual abuse, has become a national pastime.Divorce is at record levels, and it is as common in the church as it is in the broader society!Greed and pride are absolutely rampant. | | By: Shattered Paradigm | | |
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| Passport - why must you torture me so? | | 2008-06-07 13:38:41 | | If you’re like me, you plan a big trip for months – cashing in frequent flier miles, researching hotels online and packing the steamer trunks with every possible outfit scenario should a white party spring up on your travels... | | By: Bear Bones | | |
| | LDR is torture | | 2008-05-26 10:28:51 | | What would you regard as a long distance relationship? Could an hour away be a LDR? Are you presently in a LDR so how is it going for you?
I believe an hour away is just whining and bitching. You know, it takes an hour –- or a couple of hours if there is gridlock — [...] | | By: Laarnaay | | |
| | Really really funny jokes-Allegations of torture | | 2008-05-10 02:05:01 | | T. B. Bechtel, a part-time City Councilman from Midland, TX , was asked on a local 'live' radio talk show, just what he thought of the allegations of torture of the Iraqi prisoners. His reply prompted his ejection from the studio, but to thunderous applause from the audience."If hooking up an Iraqi prisoner's balls to a car's battery cables will save just one Texas GI's life, then I have just three things to say....""Red is positive, Black is negative, Make sure his balls are wet." | | By: Really funny jokes | | |
| | John 5: musical torture | | 2008-04-25 17:02:52 | | News:
25-04-2008:
Blabbermouth note that John 5 will release his fourth solo album, "Requiem", on June 3 via 60 Cycle Hum.
Blabbermouth says: By definition requiem is prayer for the salvation of the soul(s) of the departed, requiem is also the title of various musical compositions used in such liturgical services. In the case of John 5, requiem is a mind-blowing, sinister guitar instrumental...
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| | By: Truth In Shredding | | |
| | CIA quietly admits torture, rendition program will continue | | 2008-04-25 15:49:11 | | "Buried in documents filed in federal court, the CIA acknowledged in legal filings yesterday that their rendition program “will continue.” Terror suspects detained or "renditioned" by the United States are transferred to third party countries that allow torture which gives the US a legal loophole to allow harsh interrogation without being liable.
"Documents show they expected legal challenges from the start
"CIA has begun to lose, destroy documents"
read more | | By: from Reason to Freedom | | |
| | ANTI-TORTURE PRESIDENT TOP TEN | | 2008-04-20 15:47:40 | | This was my entry in the Human Right's First Anti-torture contest ofTop Ten Signs We Finally Have an Anti-Torture President~# 10We the people no longer have the dreadful sensation that we’re drowning.# 9The parallels with Nixon’s administration and the Vietnam war no longer apply.# 8Knee-jerk terror alerts become passé.# 7The sequel to the movie “Rendition” is canceled due to its implausibility. #6Seeing the vice president on the news doesn’t scare the kids.# 5“Gitmo” becomes, “No Larry, No Curly, and No Moe”!# 4It’s two-thousand and nine!# 3The president is seen reading a book and it isn’t a photo-op.# 2The president pronounces it like its spelled- “nuclear”.And the # 1 signthat we finally have an Anti-Torture President;“Withdrawal” and “pull out” are no longer considered dirty words.~You can go here to see the winner of the "top-ten contest" chosen by Human Rights First "end torture campaign"...http://www.relaywave.com/pingRelayWave.php
| | By: The Peace Tree | | |
| | President Bush Knew and Approved Torture of Terrorist Suspects | | 2008-04-16 21:25:26 | | You lied to us, Mr. President when you said that America doesn't torture. Now that it has come out that you and Vice President Cheney personally approve of torture, I no longer can look you men straight in your eyes without casting my eyes down in shame at your dispicable behavior.
Have you seen the movie, "Rendition?" Did you identify with Corrine Whitman?
While it is certainly true that there are people who are alleged to be terrorist suspects that we are presently holding as prisoners, as I do not condone cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of even THESE individuals I have no choice but to have to tell you that I wish to see you both impeached for your crimes against humanity.
Are you as enraged as I am? Click here for further information and a petition to impeach.
READ ABOUT THIS HEREPractice non-violence in your lives. You will be leaving your children a beautiful legacy. | | By: Marilyn's Non-Violent Planet Newspage | | |
| | TORTURE AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS | | 2008-04-16 14:58:02 | | Ask Senators Clinton, McCain and Obama to join us in calling on Secretary of State Rice to resign. Sign the petition now!http://www.relaywave.com/pingRelayWave.php
| | By: The Peace Tree | | |
| | | | 17 articles in 15 hours? That's torture | | 2008-03-24 05:41:51 | | I know I should have posted this a long time ago, one week ago to be specific (and that's already "long time ago" to me), but there just have been many things that I was rather busy of doing. And one of them pertains to this post's title.
I am not quite certain whether it was the need to earn a little more or plainly the curiosity about being a freelance writer but when I dropped by a site with
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| | By: My Consoling Asylum | | |
| | TORTURE IS A MORAL ISSUE - Override the Veto | | 2008-03-10 16:08:00 | | Dear Friends:On Saturday, March 8, President Bush vetoed H.R. 2082, an important piece of anti-torture legislation that would have banned the use of waterboarding, stress positions, induced hypothermia, and other so-called "harsh" interrogation techniques by requiring all U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA, to abide by the restrictions in the Army Field Manual while conducting interrogations. H.R. 2082 was passed by a majority of both houses of Congress.Sometime this week, possibly as soon as tomorrow, the U.S. House will vote on whether or not to override the President's veto. It is very difficult to override a veto (it requires a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress), so the attempt to override may not be successful. That said, we want to make every effort to convince as many Members of Congress as possible to vote for the override.Please call your Representative in Congress and urge him or her to vote to override the President's veto of H.R. 2082, the Intellig | | By: Poetry Where You Live | | |
| | News: Bush Tries to Justify Torture. | | 2008-03-08 18:08:39 | | Fact: US President Bush vetoed a bill that would have banned the CIA from "waterboarding" or "simulated drowning", and other coercive interrogation methods, to gain information from suspected terrorists. (link)Fact: The bill would have limited the CIA to 19 interrogation techniques that are used by the military and spelled out in the Army Field Manual. In a recent speech, Bush said he vetoed the measure because it is important for the CIA to have a separate and classified interrogation program for suspected terrorists who possess critical information about possible plots against the United States. (link)Fact: Waterboarding (picture) involves strapping a person down and pouring water over his/her cloth-covered face to create the sensation of drowning. It has been traced back hundreds of years to the Spanish Inquisition and is condemned by nations around the world and human rights organizations as torture. (link)Fact: The CIA admits the use of waterboarding as one of its interrogation te | | By: The Road to the Horizon | | |
| | | Utah Company Being Sued for Using Waterboarding Torture on Employee | | 2008-02-29 15:26:13 | |
Questions:
1) Does anybody but me think that Dave Ellis and Joshua Christopherson should be indicted for this?
2) Just how far will people GO in order to please their employers?
3) Why didn't anyone call the police during this appalling experiment?
4) Will people do ANYTHING for money?
READ ABOUT THIS HEREPractice non-violence in your lives. You will be leaving your children a beautiful legacy. | | By: Marilyn's Non-Violent Planet Newspage | | |
| | New Abu Ghraib Torture Photos | | 2008-02-28 16:23:52 | | WARNING: Nudity & Graphic Images
Disturbing new photos have been posted on Wired with accompanying video from a lecture on Abu Ghraib by psychologist Philip Zimbardo. The interview article, How People Turn Evil, From Stanford to Abu Ghraib, provides a fascinating look into human psychology. For ease of viewing the photos [...] | | By: Garling Gauge | | |
| | Sent by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture | | 2008-02-25 16:22:00 | | Dear Friends:Earlier this month Congress passed H.R. 2082, a bill that would prohibit all U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA, from subjecting detainees to waterboarding, stress positions, hypothermia, and other forms of torture. The President’s signature is all this bill needs to become law.Unfortunately, President Bush has said he plans to veto the bill. If he does not change his mind, this important anti-torture legislation will not become law.Please contact the White House and tell President Bush’s staff that you support H.R. 2082 (the Intelligence Authorization bill), and that you think it is essential that the anti-torture provision in the bill becomes law. You can use a sample email that we have prepared to contact the President, or you can call the White House at 202-456-1111. Click here for the sample http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2162/t/3805/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=21961.Please feel free to personalize the email.We would also like to remind you of two i | | By: Poetry Where You Live | | |
| | | | Waterboarding = Torture | | 2008-02-06 16:03:00 | | Waterboarding is torture - always!There is no process that makes it anything other than torture.America must never use torture.America must never use waterboarding!I am horrified that members of our government have engaged in waterboarding and I am even more horrified that people in our government are working to justify it, both before they did it and now.You do not fight terrorism with terror.How can we demand that other parties follow the rule of law when we do not?http://people.howstuffworks.com/water-boarding.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterboarding | | By: Poetry Where You Live | | |
| | Canada Adds U.S.A. to Torture List | | 2008-01-19 09:47:40 | | Canada to diplomats: U.S. tortures people
Truth - Another reason to move to Canada.
A training document produced by the foreign ministry openly admits the United States is a country where prisoners are at risk of torture. “The manual - part of a training course on torture awareness for diplomats - also includes Israel, [...] | | By: Garling Gauge | | |
| | Torture and the '08 Elections | | 2007-12-20 19:33:02 | | I've talked a fair bit about torture here and it's greatly influenced my decision making as to who I'm going to vote for. Over at TMV David Schraub concludes that the entire election is about torture. And he's right in that we do need to have a national debate about torture in order to decide what America is. However I think that the point his title makes needs to be explored in a different manner. To me the questions about torture are an excellent barometer of any candidate's morales. Here's the way I see it. If you ask the question WWJD in regards to torture the answer is readily apparent. However many candidates seem to be at odds with the beliefs they claim they have and their position on torture. If they can't follow the dictates of their own faith how can we expect them to follow "lesser dictates" like international law or the Constitution (or even tell the truth consistently for that matter)? There has to be some minimum bar for morality in a president and sadly enough this election we're debating the value of hitting rock bottom in that area.If I'm right about what a candidates stance on this issue says about them then I have four choices this election season; John McCain, Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee and every Dem candidate that isn't Hillary Clinton. Since I don't think that Ron Paul or Huckabee can win (or even want Huckabee to) the GOP nomination who I'll be voting for will most likely be decided by the winnowing process that is called the primaries and the sad thing is that in the end I may end up with a choice of lesser evils. Again.
| | By: Dyre Portents | | |
| | An Evangelical on Torture | | 2007-11-14 08:37:37 | | Over at The Evangelical Outpost Joe Carter tackles the question, "Who would Jesus waterboard?" His answer? No one. Who allowed our country to succumb to such fear and moral cowardice that we parse the the meaning and definition of "torture?" I blame myself, and implicate my fellow Christians. We have remained silent and treated an issue once considered unthinkable--the acceptability of torture--like a concept worthy of honest debate. But there is no room for debate: torture is immoral and should be clearly and forcefully denounced. We continue to shame ourselves and our Creator by refusing to speak out against such outrages to human dignity....As Christians we must never condone the use of methods that threaten to undermine the inherent dignity of the person created in the image of God. ... There is something clearly repugnant about our unwillingness to distance ourselves from the fear-driven utilitarians willing to embrace the use of torture. I've wondered "Where is the evangelical | | By: Dyre Portents | | |
| | McCain Takes Giuliani to Task on Torture | | 2007-10-26 15:09:51 | | From the NY TimesRudolph W. Giuliani’s statement on Wednesday that he was uncertain whether waterboarding, a simulated drowning technique, was torture drew a sharp rebuke yesterday from Senator John McCain, who said that his failure to call it torture reflected his inexperience. “All I can say is that it was used in the Spanish Inquisition, it was used in Pol Pot’s genocide in Cambodia, and there are reports that it is being used against Buddhist monks today,” Mr. McCain, who spent more than five years in a North Vietnamese prison camp, said in a telephone interview. Of presidential candidates like Mr. Giuliani, who say that they are unsure whether waterboarding is torture, Mr. McCain said: “They should know what it is. It is not a complicated procedure. It is torture.” Mr. Giuliani said on Wednesday night at a forum in Davenport, Iowa, that he favored “aggressive questioning” of terrorism suspects and using “means that are a little tougher” with terrorists but tha | | By: Dyre Portents | | |
| | Reports Of Torture Leave Lasting Stain On Bush Administration | | 2007-10-11 14:02:00 | | Who Has Betrayed Us? (by Brian McLaren)I remember about eight years ago when then presidential candidate George W. Bush repeatedly claimed that he would restore honor to the presidency, soiled as it had been by our previous president's infamous affair. I remember hoping he would succeed. But a new kind of shame has come to the office and to our nation as reports surface about our government's secret authorization of torture. We all share in this shame.As I continue to see on the news more and more stories of torture and needless violence (in Iraq and otherwise), I begin to feel a deep and groaning shame. I voted for President George W. Bush because he promised to get rid of abortion. I was a single-issue Evangelical voter. I'm a bit smarter now. I know that Bush hasn't kept that promise, but has blood on his hands of many more unforseen lives. The death toll in Iraq and Afghanistan continues to mount, all while Americans continue to wonder why we are over there. We have become disenchanted with the War on Terror, to say the least. There is continued torture and illegal holding taking place at Guantanamo Bay. Those "prisoners" have a right to a fair and speedy trial. They don't deserve to be tortured, and certainly without charges brought against them. American companies are making a lot of money off the war in Iraq. All the while I can see more and more everyday people like me wondering WHY. This is not the way it is supposed to be. God help our nation to see that. | | By: Life Consistency | | |
| | On Torture | | 2007-10-11 07:45:30 | | There has been a lot of discussion about the value of torture as of late. Speaking as someone that has some personal experience on the subject and who has studied it I can honestly say the following:Torture elicits false confessions and information from the innocent, it produces false information from the guilty/knowledgeable who have been properly trained or should either their loyalty or pain threshold be high. It does however provide actionable intelligence from those that lack loyalty and/or a high endurance for pain/discomfort. If I had the numbers to crunch I'd bet that the percentage of soldiers or terrorists that fall into that last group is really low. What we need to figure out is if the percentage of reall information were getting from torture is worth the sacrifice of America's moral authority. I don't believe it is. We're supposed to be the good guys and it's high time we started acting like it.
| | By: Dyre Portents | | |
| | On Torture 2.0 | | 2007-10-09 00:36:58 | | I wrote this over a year ago, when I got around 1 hit a day (and that was probably from my IP). It was the third post ever. Since then, my writing has improved drastically (you like the big words?) thanks to blogging.Some of it's points don't apply today, but much of it does:Although torture is meant to keep the United States of America safe, it does not always have that effect. Sometimes, in dire emergencies, torture may be necessary. Usually, this is not the case. President Bush does not agree with this. He thinks that torture is necessary to prevent another terrorist attack. While the President believes that, others, who have been in the military, including Republican Senators John McCain, John Warner, and Lindsey Graham, have the opposite view on interrogation techniques. Both sides have proposed a bill. The senate bill, which was approved by the Senate Armed Service Committee (led by McCain, Warner, and Graham), is not much better than the President's bill. It would allow the President to have the final word on torture. If he wanted to torture a detainee, he would NOT have to make his intentions public.The effects of torture are worse than the information gained from it, excluding extreme cases. If the United States tortures prisoners, other countries will too. This puts the United States' soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan in danger. Tortured POWs often give false information to receive better treatment. One well known case Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, a terrorism suspect, 'admitted' that Iraq and Al-Qaeda were connected so he would not be tortured by the Egyptians. Countries become less trustful, creating weaker treaties. Besides that, the U.S. agreed to the Geneva Conventions. Bush has no right to decide that he can just over rule the agreement. Mistreating captured enemy combatants is morally wrong, and diminishes how the world looks at the U.S. Even for people who donÂ’t believe in any God must agree that torture is wrong. A watered down version of the McCain bill, or even better, a new bill, must be passed in Congress if the United States is to regain its image of fairness and the soldiers of the United States are to remain safe.
| | By: Thoughts on the World | | |
| | | Torture Chamber | | 2007-06-27 20:40:00 | | I am telling you the truth... this day has been like a visit to a torture chamber. It started this morning with Tony, as you read about earlier. I had an hour break before I got a work related call that was quite stressful, at the same time as I was dealing with two intense situations on the instant messenger. I barely recovered from that when I had to go around and around with Jimmy. He was taking stuck on stupid to a whole new level. Defiant about every single thing I asked him to do. Arguing, fighting, calling me names like fatty ("ooooh, fatty. Did it take you a while to come up with that?" -- my favorite line from Happy Feet)He finally went to work at 11:00 after indicating he was not going, that he was not going to shower, that he was not going to anything I said he had to do. Finally around 11 he left, but by 11:45 Dominyk was back and he was obsessed with the dog. The dog usually puts up with him pretty well, but it drives me nuts to listen to him chase the dog from p | | By: Never a Dull Moment | | |
| | Torture | | 2007-06-18 00:58:00 | | WE don’t torture, oncea clear mantra, creedtruth about our nationwhat we would never doNo more, no longerrationalize a little violationincremental erosiona crumbling of the moral authorityof our whole peopleHow soon will we wake upHow soon will we reclaimour principlesHow long will the worlddoubt our resolve once moreWe can only hope,their memory is shortJune 16, 2007 17:03 | | By: Poetry Where You Live | | |
| | The Fruits of Torture | | 2007-06-18 00:44:00 | | We are reaping the whirlwind,the fruits of torture, actscommitted in our namesA loss of identity, our place in the worldcompromise, failed convictions,missed opportunitiesA growing reservoir of hate,of those ready to take up armsstrap on bombs,against us, our interestsFailing a moral testdoing that which we abhorand bearing its stainfor years to comeJune 16, 2007 16:59 | | By: Poetry Where You Live | | |
| | | Gen. Petraeus Warns Against Using Torture | | 2007-05-11 17:33:14 | | By Thomas E. RicksWashington Post Staff WriterFriday, May 11, 2007; A03The top U.S. commander in Iraq admonished his troops regarding the results of an Army survey that found that many U.S military personnel there are willing to tolerate some torture of suspects and unwilling to report abuse by comrades."This fight depends on securing the population, which must understand that we -- not our enemies -- occupy the moral high ground," Army Gen. David H. Petraeus wrote in an open letter dated May 10 and posted on a military Web site.He rejected the argument that torture is sometimes needed to quickly obtain crucial information. "Beyond the basic fact that such actions are illegal, history shows that they also are frequently neither useful nor necessary," he stated.(snip)Protecting Iraqi civilians rather than abusing them is a major part of Petraeus's offensive to improve security in Baghdad. Their mission there, Petraeus noted in his first letter to the troops, on Feb. 10, is to "improve | | By: Dyre Portents | | |
| | How to Torture a Taliban | | 2007-04-29 18:35:00 | | Allegations of possible torture of Taliban prisoners over in Afghanistan continue to dominate the Canadian news scene, and as usual, the focus is more on the well-being of terrorists (who, given the chance, wouldn't hesitate to slit every Canadian's throat) than the possible valuable information obtained from them. When it comes to the scum called Taliban, I wouldn't care if every single one of them were tortured to within one inch of their meaningless little lives. That being said, here's the top ten ways to torture a Taliban:10. Endless hours of the CBC.09. New cellmate: Conrad Black.08. Make him use a toilet.07. Make him use a shower.06. Tell him ‘they ain’t virgins no more!’05. Rosie’s replacement on the View.04. Make him wear ‘Jesus Rules!’ t-shirt.03. Only reading material in cell: Gay porn.02. Always call him ‘Mary’.01. A nice, clean shave! | | By: The Moderate Separatist | | |
| | International pressure can work: Drama as Burundi court acquits key figures in fictitious coup plot - Torture victims vow international legal action | | 2007-01-20 03:25:00 | | Pressure forces acquittal of Burundi coup plotters - SA Mail and GuardianPressure from the international community, NGOs and civil society led to the acquittal recently of five alleged coup plotters imprisoned in Burundi in August this year. The men were arrested and charged with plotting to overthrow the government, but the accusations were widely believed to have been fabricated by elements in the government. Well-placed sources in Burundi said the judge’s decision to acquit five of the accused was a “political decision due to international pressure.”Five of seven alleged coup plotters, including ex-president Domitien Ndayizeye, were found not guilty of plotting to overthrow the government and were released after spending the past six months in jail. “It is a positive development which was very urgently needed,” Jan van Eck, a Burundi analyst told the Mail & Guardian. Van Eck says the alleged coup plot had been “destabilising the country, creating the impression that the government was becoming undemocratic, oppressing the opposition and not honouring the election promise to apply good governance”. This is “a step in the right direction,” he added.In 2005 the government of President Pierre Nkurunziza was elected in a landslide victory in the country’s first election since the end of a civil war that destabilised the country for over a decade. Explaining the decision, the spokesperson for the supreme court, Elie Ntungwanayo, said: “The court judged that the accusations lacked foundation. [Information was] based on testimonials by Alain Mugabarabona and Tharcisse Ndayishimiye, and [we] could therefore not rely on their sole testimonials as no other proof had been found.” Mugabarabona, a former rebel leader, and Ndayishimiye, who were imprisoned on the same charges, received hefty sentences of 20 years and 15 years in prison respectively, allegedly because they had confessed to planning a coup.“Since the two accused have confessed to having | | By: Agathon Rwasa | | |
| | UN condemns "endemic" sexual violence, torture and killings in Burundi, calls for justice | | 2006-11-28 12:31:00 | | From ReutersBUJUMBURA, 27 November (IRIN) - Human-rights violations have continued in Burundi, despite a new democratically elected government, according to a senior United Nations official in the country.Sexual violence is commonplace, while arbitrary killings, arrests and torture are also happening, according to Ismael Diallo, the director of the human-rights division of the UN Operation in Burundi (ONUB)."The human-rights situation has really not improved since the previous government; it has more or less remained the same, except for abuses by the intelligence services, which have become noticeably worse," Diallo said.Burundi is emerging from 13 years of civil strife during which human rights were regularly abused. The current government swept to power in a landslide election in August 2005 pledging to restore order.Diallo noted that abuses by Burundi's national intelligence service, the Service National de Renseignement (SNR), had grown significantly worse over the past few months, with its agents carrying out arbitrary arrests and torturing detainees suspected of being allied to Burundi's last active rebel group, the Forces nationales de libération.Bodies foundIn an October report, an international watchdog, Human Rights Watch (HRW), accused the SNR of torture and possible involvement in extrajudicial killings that it said went unpunished."Intelligence agents are believed to have been involved in the killing or presumed killing of at least 38 people over the past year," the report said. "Thirty-one people are currently missing and presumed dead in Muyinga [province in the north] with several bodies and body parts having been found in a local river."HRW said that in July, people in Muyinga told human-rights organisations that family members had been arrested and could not be found. At least seven bodies were recovered from the region's River Ruvubu. However, Burundi's government spokesman and minister of information, Ramadhan Karenga, told IRIN the HRW rep | | By: Agathon Rwasa | | |
| | UN Torture Committee raises concerns over widespread abuses, condemns immunity for rape and torture, urges creation of special war crimes court | | 2006-11-27 07:18:00 | | In its conclusions on the initial report of Burundi, the Committee took note of the proposed amendments to Burundi's Penal Code, and of Burundi's intention to include articles prohibiting acts of torture, and other acts of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, including with regard to violence against women and children. Further, it acknowledged the delegation's statement that the Code of Criminal Procedure would be likewise revised over the course of 2007. The Committee welcomed the creation of the Ministry for National Solidarity, Human Rights and Gender, the Government Commission on Human Rights and the Centre for the Promotion of Human Rights and the Prevention of Genocide. The Committee remained concerned, however, by the lack of specific provisions in Burundi's Penal Code to define and criminalize torture, and the lack of clarity surrounding the status of the Convention in domestic law. It noted with concern that the rules concerning detention did not explicitly require that detainees be notified of their rights, and was alarmed by information received that torture was a widespread practice in Burundi and that, indeed, there had been hundreds of cases of torture committed between July 2005 and July 2006 – a fact which the State party did not contest. +In addition, it was extremely concerned by reports concerning a high number of forced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and secret detentions committed by the National Information Service. The Committee was worried by the double mandate of the Information Service, which was charged both with ensuring State security and judicial police functions, a combination that entailed a high risk that such an entity would be used as an instrument of political repression. It was further alarmed by reports of large scale sexual violence against women and children by State agents and armed groups, as well as recourse to systematized rape as a weapon of war, which was a crime against humanity. The Committee was extre | | By: Agathon Rwasa | | |
| | | Romney OK’s Torture With Knives | | 0000-00-00 00:00:00 | | James Marks & Mitt Romney prefer ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’
“I’d stick a knife in somebody’s thigh in a heartbeat.”
Earth to Romney: Two wrongs don’t make a right
Either Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney condones torture or he thinks putting a knife in someone’s thigh isn’t torture.
What a wicked man.
Greg Sargent reports for TPM that Republican Mitt [...] | | By: Garling Gauge | | |
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