ICH
(Cont'd) On the Trail of the CIA
Mon Dec 12, 2005 21:27
How damaging the program of fighting terror has become is shown by the case of the defendant Jose Padilla in Chicago, who was accused, after his arrest, by former Minister of Justice John Ashcroft, of wanting to set off a dirty bomb. But in the end Padilla was only charged with supporting and promoting a terrorist organization. The more serious accusations were based on statements made by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. The government is loathe to reveal what has been discovered, out of fear that, during the trial, the method of how these statements were obtained would come out into the open.
There can be no doubt that the political damage caused, on a global level, by the prisoner ill-treatment has long outweighed any possible use intended by such a policy. The CIA torture scandal is on the way to becoming a second Abu Ghraib. The torture carried out in the infamous Iraqi jails has damaged the USA's image across the whole world, and destroyed its moral pretence to bring democracy and freedom to the Middle East.
So for months now Washington has been reeling with a bitter debate on how to bring an end to the unceasing accusations of torture. The camp of Guantanamo is also included in the debate. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and Secretary of State Rice demand that UN inspectors to have the right to contact prisoners. In congress parliamentarians of both parties call for the law proposed by Vietnam veteran McCain, which would ban torture by US authorities, be passed.
But Vice President Cheney and CIA Director Goss fight, with rear-cover provided by the White House, to provide the secret service with an exemption from this ban on torture. It is possible however they are fighting a losing battle.
Last Wednesday, while on European trip in Kiev, Secretary of State Rice announced that the UN ban on torture naturally also applied to American state employees. "As a matter of US policy," she said the United Nations Convention against Torture "extend to US personnel wherever they are, whether they are in the US or outside the US." Since then speculations have been made in Washington as to whether the hardliners will step down or fight back as soon as Rice returns.
Now highly respected veterans of the secret service are joining in the debate: Vincent Cannistraro, a former anti-terror head of the CIA and leader of the working group which investigated the Lockerbie crash in 1988, doubts how worthwhile statements made under torture can be. "Detainees will say virtually anything to end their torment," he says. Burton Gerber, the former head of the Moscow unit is convinced that torture "corrupts every society that tolerates it." Larry Johnson, a former CIA agent and foreign ministry anti-terror expert says "What real CIA field officers know firsthand is that it is better to build a relationship of trust ...than to extract quick confessions through tactics such as those used by the Nazis and the Soviets." And ex-agent Baer, whose life was the inspiration for the Hollywood thriller "Syriana," is even certain that "this story will destroy the CIA."
But above all even the interrogators have been left with the nagging doubt as to the legality of their actions -- despite all the assertions made by the government. Why else would Washington be so adamant about keeping prisoners off American soil. Tenet demanded again and again guarantees that his agents will not at some point be hauled in front of a court.
And so arose the infamous seal of approval from the ministry of justice and the White House, in which then Vice Minister for Justice Jay Bybee confirmed that every type of interrogation method was allowed as long as it didn't lead to the prisoner suffering serious injuries, organ failure or death.
Even the current Secretary for Homeland Security Michael Chertoff set up a seal of approval. The former White House legal advisor and current Justice Minister Alberto Gonzales made a speech to the Senate in which he claimed that ill-treatment of prisoners was permissible as long as those affected were not US citizens and the torture took place abroad. All three seal of approvals for torture were supported by Bush.
As a result of remaining uncertainty the CIA demanded that the politicians themselves take over responsibility for the treatment of prisoners in the world-wide war on terror. "We should lock these people up," said the former terrorist hunter Scheuer to SPIEGEL. "They declared war on us, so we are allowed to hold them until the end of the war." He defended the basic principle of the fight against terrorism: "We have to catch these people before they can do more killing."
However Scheuer also admits that the arrogant disdain for prisoner rights has been like "shooting your own leg." He said that in reality there was no need for special powers or new means of interrogation. "This whole story is a massive success for al-Qaida, because we are losing the support of Europe, our most important partner in the fight against terror."
At the same time, however, he sees the definition of torture as relative. "There is a difference between torture and severe interrogation methods. Torture is pulling someone's nails out."
MANFRED ERTEL, ERICH FOLLATH, HANS HOYNG
MARION KRASKE, GEORG MASCOLO, JAN PUHL
© SPIEGEL ONLINE 2005
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11284.htm
ICH INDEX:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/index.html
There can be no doubt that the political damage caused, on a global level, by the prisoner ill-treatment has long outweighed any possible use intended by such a policy. The CIA torture scandal is on the way to becoming a second Abu Ghraib. The torture carried out in the infamous Iraqi jails has damaged the USA's image across the whole world, and destroyed its moral pretence to bring democracy and freedom to the Middle East.
So for months now Washington has been reeling with a bitter debate on how to bring an end to the unceasing accusations of torture. The camp of Guantanamo is also included in the debate. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and Secretary of State Rice demand that UN inspectors to have the right to contact prisoners. In congress parliamentarians of both parties call for the law proposed by Vietnam veteran McCain, which would ban torture by US authorities, be passed.
But Vice President Cheney and CIA Director Goss fight, with rear-cover provided by the White House, to provide the secret service with an exemption from this ban on torture. It is possible however they are fighting a losing battle.
Last Wednesday, while on European trip in Kiev, Secretary of State Rice announced that the UN ban on torture naturally also applied to American state employees. "As a matter of US policy," she said the United Nations Convention against Torture "extend to US personnel wherever they are, whether they are in the US or outside the US." Since then speculations have been made in Washington as to whether the hardliners will step down or fight back as soon as Rice returns.
Now highly respected veterans of the secret service are joining in the debate: Vincent Cannistraro, a former anti-terror head of the CIA and leader of the working group which investigated the Lockerbie crash in 1988, doubts how worthwhile statements made under torture can be. "Detainees will say virtually anything to end their torment," he says. Burton Gerber, the former head of the Moscow unit is convinced that torture "corrupts every society that tolerates it." Larry Johnson, a former CIA agent and foreign ministry anti-terror expert says "What real CIA field officers know firsthand is that it is better to build a relationship of trust ...than to extract quick confessions through tactics such as those used by the Nazis and the Soviets." And ex-agent Baer, whose life was the inspiration for the Hollywood thriller "Syriana," is even certain that "this story will destroy the CIA."
But above all even the interrogators have been left with the nagging doubt as to the legality of their actions -- despite all the assertions made by the government. Why else would Washington be so adamant about keeping prisoners off American soil. Tenet demanded again and again guarantees that his agents will not at some point be hauled in front of a court.
And so arose the infamous seal of approval from the ministry of justice and the White House, in which then Vice Minister for Justice Jay Bybee confirmed that every type of interrogation method was allowed as long as it didn't lead to the prisoner suffering serious injuries, organ failure or death.
Even the current Secretary for Homeland Security Michael Chertoff set up a seal of approval. The former White House legal advisor and current Justice Minister Alberto Gonzales made a speech to the Senate in which he claimed that ill-treatment of prisoners was permissible as long as those affected were not US citizens and the torture took place abroad. All three seal of approvals for torture were supported by Bush.
As a result of remaining uncertainty the CIA demanded that the politicians themselves take over responsibility for the treatment of prisoners in the world-wide war on terror. "We should lock these people up," said the former terrorist hunter Scheuer to SPIEGEL. "They declared war on us, so we are allowed to hold them until the end of the war." He defended the basic principle of the fight against terrorism: "We have to catch these people before they can do more killing."
However Scheuer also admits that the arrogant disdain for prisoner rights has been like "shooting your own leg." He said that in reality there was no need for special powers or new means of interrogation. "This whole story is a massive success for al-Qaida, because we are losing the support of Europe, our most important partner in the fight against terror."
At the same time, however, he sees the definition of torture as relative. "There is a difference between torture and severe interrogation methods. Torture is pulling someone's nails out."
MANFRED ERTEL, ERICH FOLLATH, HANS HOYNG
MARION KRASKE, GEORG MASCOLO, JAN PUHL
© SPIEGEL ONLINE 2005
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11284.htm
ICH INDEX:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/index.html
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