"Open Arms" - Graeme MacKay, Hamilton Spectator, Hamilton, ON, Canada
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Friday, May 15, 2015
"Drones vs Torture" by Rick McKee
"Drones vs Torture" - Rick McKee, Augusta Chronicle, Augusta, GA, US
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Pentagon blocks UN torture investigator from meeting Gitmo detainees
Isn't it ironic that Transparency International rates governments & their governance on how transparent & free of corruption they are? But when it comes to Western countries, although Transparency International says that these are the least corrupt / most transparent governments, it seems they hide more than they reveal. Several critical matters of the government are hidden from their own public (that's why, Snowden's & Manning's & several other whistleblowers' revelations were surprising).
If prisoners are being treated so fairly & are well-maintained in Gitmo, then why hide under the guise of national security?
After all, it's not like these lawyers are related to terrorism in any way or will try to harm Americans in any way. They just want full & impartial access to the detainees. They are not even asking for these detainees' release or anything of that sort. If you are trying to hide something, then something is not right.
When Iran didn't allow IAEA (a UN agency) inspectors to completely inspect its nuclear facilities, the whole Western world was up in arms about it & slapped sanctions on Iran. Transparency International rated Iran as a corrupt regime. When US doesn't allow UN inspectors to visit Guantanamo prison, the whole Western world is silent as if there's nothing wrong with it. Transparency International still rates US as a transparent & open country. Something smells of hypocrisy here.
A common piece of advice parents give to their kids that if you are doing something & you don't know whether you should do it or not, then think about it this way that would I tell my parent(s) what I did. We, as parents, unabashedly tell our kids to always tell the truth, & not hide anything from their elders, regardless how horrible the situation, but, then we turn around, lie & hide to our heart's content.
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The Pentagon said it will refuse the United Nations special rapporteur on torture from interviewing or even meeting detainees held at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay. The UN’s Juan E. Mendez called for increased access to the prison ... .
The Guardian reported ... that the Obama administration had reaffirmed its commitment to secrecy at the notorious detention center following a visit to Gitmo by a handful of new US senators who are supportive of the prison.
Méndez, the UN’s special rapporteur on torture, “has been invited to visit Guantánamo; however, he will not be permitted to interview detainees,” Army Lieutenant Colonel Myles Caggins, a Pentagon spokesman, told the Guardian.
... Méndez said he has been offered certain terms attached to a Gitmo visit, yet he, like his predecessor in 2004, declined to accept based on stipulations he deemed too narrow.
"The invitation is to get a briefing from the authorities and to visit some parts of the prison, but not all, and specifically I am not allowed to have unmonitored or even monitored conversations with any inmate in Guantanamo Bay," he said.
Mendez has sought a level of unfettered access to Gitmo detainees since 2010, yet the Obama administration continues to spurn his requests, maintaining that Mendez is allowed only a restricted viewing of the prison facilities.
Méndez has called indefinite detention -- the hallmark quality of the Guantanamo prison -- “itself a form of cruel, inhuman & degrading treatment.” His office has said forced feedings used by Guantanamo officials to break prisoner hunger strikes “in some cases can amount to torture.”
Around 122 detainees remain locked away at Gitmo, far from the public eye, as the majority of them have been held at the facility without trial or charge.
Guantanamo continues to be widely criticized for its inhuman housing conditions & questionable interrogation methods – among them force-feeding, regarded by many as torture, the fact that lawyers can’t gain access to their clients, & the fact that the majority of prisoners still haven’t been charged.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is allowed detainee visits, among other access at Guantanamo. But, in order to maintain its privileges, ICRC does not publicly divulge details of its visits to prisons.
The ongoing refusal of detainee access for a top UN human rights official was on par with the Obama administration’s “continued policy of secrecy” surrounding the detention center, said Laura Pitter of Human Rights Watch.
“Yes, the US gives the ICRC access but that access is subject to strict confidentiality. If the US is truly treating detainees humanely at Guantánamo & it [is] proud of the detention conditions there, why not open the facility up for inspection by the UN special rapporteur, who has access to other prisons all over the world,” Pitter said.
Cori Crider, a lawyer for the human rights group Reprieve, told the Guardian her organization stands behind Méndez for refusing to take a “Potemkin Village tour” of Guantanamo.
“Barring the UN’s torture expert from talking to prisoners is just the Pentagon’s latest effort to keep a tight lid on the grim realities of life at Gitmo: the desperation, the pain of force-feeding, the abuse,” Crider said.
“If the Obama administration is really committed to transparency, it ought to put up or shut up, let respected UN experts interview detainees, & release the force-feeding tapes,” Crider said.
Crider added: “The reason they won’t let Mr Méndez interview detainees is the same reason that the administration is fighting to suppress the videotapes of my client Abu Wa’el Dhiab being strapped into a restraint chair & force-fed – the authorities don’t want Americans to see the stomach-turning truth about Guantanamo today.”
5 newly elected US senators visited Guantanamo over the weekend. The senators – all supportive of the continued existence of what has become an international symbol of human rights abuses -- included Tom Cotton, of Arkansas.
"In my opinion, the only problem with Guantanamo Bay is there are too many empty beds & cells there right now," Cotton said of Gitmo during a Senate hearing in February.
"We should be sending more terrorists there for further interrogation to keep this country safe. As far as I'm concerned, every last one of them can rot in hell. But as long as they can't do that, they can rot in Guantanamo Bay."
The majority of detainees remaining at Gitmo have been cleared for release, but remain there due to political or diplomatic obstacles in repatriating them.
Approximately another 30 or so prisoners have been designated for continued detention without trial. These are men considered by the US as too dangerous to release, yet against whom the government lacks usable evidence for a conviction.
If prisoners are being treated so fairly & are well-maintained in Gitmo, then why hide under the guise of national security?
After all, it's not like these lawyers are related to terrorism in any way or will try to harm Americans in any way. They just want full & impartial access to the detainees. They are not even asking for these detainees' release or anything of that sort. If you are trying to hide something, then something is not right.
When Iran didn't allow IAEA (a UN agency) inspectors to completely inspect its nuclear facilities, the whole Western world was up in arms about it & slapped sanctions on Iran. Transparency International rated Iran as a corrupt regime. When US doesn't allow UN inspectors to visit Guantanamo prison, the whole Western world is silent as if there's nothing wrong with it. Transparency International still rates US as a transparent & open country. Something smells of hypocrisy here.
A common piece of advice parents give to their kids that if you are doing something & you don't know whether you should do it or not, then think about it this way that would I tell my parent(s) what I did. We, as parents, unabashedly tell our kids to always tell the truth, & not hide anything from their elders, regardless how horrible the situation, but, then we turn around, lie & hide to our heart's content.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Pentagon said it will refuse the United Nations special rapporteur on torture from interviewing or even meeting detainees held at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay. The UN’s Juan E. Mendez called for increased access to the prison ... .
The Guardian reported ... that the Obama administration had reaffirmed its commitment to secrecy at the notorious detention center following a visit to Gitmo by a handful of new US senators who are supportive of the prison.
Méndez, the UN’s special rapporteur on torture, “has been invited to visit Guantánamo; however, he will not be permitted to interview detainees,” Army Lieutenant Colonel Myles Caggins, a Pentagon spokesman, told the Guardian.
... Méndez said he has been offered certain terms attached to a Gitmo visit, yet he, like his predecessor in 2004, declined to accept based on stipulations he deemed too narrow.
"The invitation is to get a briefing from the authorities and to visit some parts of the prison, but not all, and specifically I am not allowed to have unmonitored or even monitored conversations with any inmate in Guantanamo Bay," he said.
Mendez has sought a level of unfettered access to Gitmo detainees since 2010, yet the Obama administration continues to spurn his requests, maintaining that Mendez is allowed only a restricted viewing of the prison facilities.
Méndez has called indefinite detention -- the hallmark quality of the Guantanamo prison -- “itself a form of cruel, inhuman & degrading treatment.” His office has said forced feedings used by Guantanamo officials to break prisoner hunger strikes “in some cases can amount to torture.”
Around 122 detainees remain locked away at Gitmo, far from the public eye, as the majority of them have been held at the facility without trial or charge.
Guantanamo continues to be widely criticized for its inhuman housing conditions & questionable interrogation methods – among them force-feeding, regarded by many as torture, the fact that lawyers can’t gain access to their clients, & the fact that the majority of prisoners still haven’t been charged.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is allowed detainee visits, among other access at Guantanamo. But, in order to maintain its privileges, ICRC does not publicly divulge details of its visits to prisons.
The ongoing refusal of detainee access for a top UN human rights official was on par with the Obama administration’s “continued policy of secrecy” surrounding the detention center, said Laura Pitter of Human Rights Watch.
“Yes, the US gives the ICRC access but that access is subject to strict confidentiality. If the US is truly treating detainees humanely at Guantánamo & it [is] proud of the detention conditions there, why not open the facility up for inspection by the UN special rapporteur, who has access to other prisons all over the world,” Pitter said.
Cori Crider, a lawyer for the human rights group Reprieve, told the Guardian her organization stands behind Méndez for refusing to take a “Potemkin Village tour” of Guantanamo.
“Barring the UN’s torture expert from talking to prisoners is just the Pentagon’s latest effort to keep a tight lid on the grim realities of life at Gitmo: the desperation, the pain of force-feeding, the abuse,” Crider said.
“If the Obama administration is really committed to transparency, it ought to put up or shut up, let respected UN experts interview detainees, & release the force-feeding tapes,” Crider said.
Crider added: “The reason they won’t let Mr Méndez interview detainees is the same reason that the administration is fighting to suppress the videotapes of my client Abu Wa’el Dhiab being strapped into a restraint chair & force-fed – the authorities don’t want Americans to see the stomach-turning truth about Guantanamo today.”
5 newly elected US senators visited Guantanamo over the weekend. The senators – all supportive of the continued existence of what has become an international symbol of human rights abuses -- included Tom Cotton, of Arkansas.
"In my opinion, the only problem with Guantanamo Bay is there are too many empty beds & cells there right now," Cotton said of Gitmo during a Senate hearing in February.
"We should be sending more terrorists there for further interrogation to keep this country safe. As far as I'm concerned, every last one of them can rot in hell. But as long as they can't do that, they can rot in Guantanamo Bay."
The majority of detainees remaining at Gitmo have been cleared for release, but remain there due to political or diplomatic obstacles in repatriating them.
Approximately another 30 or so prisoners have been designated for continued detention without trial. These are men considered by the US as too dangerous to release, yet against whom the government lacks usable evidence for a conviction.
Obama traces origin of ISIS to Bush-era Iraq invasion
I highly respect Obama for, at least, admitting American contribution in the creation of ISIS. However, the buck shouldn't stop there. First mistake Obama made was saying that "we should look to the future instead of the past" back in 2009. He never brought Bush administration to justice for their war atrocities. Well, we can see what those actions did to the current world.
On top of that, Obama repeated Bush era's mistake by bombing Libya with American allies, & we can see how wonderfully democratic the country has become, & now helping Saudi coalition, with its British & French allies, in creating another humanitarian crisis &, perhaps, radicalization of Yemeni youths. Obama is clearly not learning from past Presidents' mistakes in bombing other countries to smithereens & then not investing in the development of those countries. Cases in point: Afghanistan, Iraq & Libya.
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President Barack Obama traced the origins of Islamic State militants back to the presidency of George W. Bush & the invasion of Iraq back in 2003, arguing that its growth was an “unintended consequence” of the war.
In an interview with Vice News, President Obama said the rise of Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS/ISIL) can be directly linked to America’s excursion into Iraq under Bush.
“Two things: One is, ISIL is a direct outgrowth of Al-Qaeda in Iraq that grew out of our invasion,” Obama said in an interview with VICE News. “Which is an example of unintended consequences. Which is why we should generally aim before we shoot.”
Obama stated that he is “confident” a coalition consisting of 60 nations “will slowly push back ISIL out of Iraq,” but added that the challenge of stopping extremism won’t stop unless there is a political solution to the internal strife affecting so many countries in the Middle East.
“What I’m worried about” he said, “is even if ISIL is defeated, the underlying problem of disaffected Sunnis around the world – but particularly in some of these areas including Libya, including Yemen – where a young man who’s growing up has no education, has no prospects for the future, is looking around & the one way he can get validation, power, respect, is if he’s a fighter."
“That’s a problem we’re going to have, generally. And we can’t keep on thinking about counterterrorism & security as entirely separate from diplomacy, development, education.”
The president dismissed concerns that the US spends too much on foreign aid, noting that just over 1% of the federal budget goes to other nations. He argued that “we should be thinking about making investments” overseas that will prevent America from sending troops to engage in military operations.
Obama’s comments regarding ISIS mark the first time he has framed the extremist group’s existence as a consequence of American foreign policy decisions. The president’s opponents have often argued that his withdrawal of US troops from Iraq in 2011 left space for groups like ISIS to grow. At the same time, the Shia-dominated central government of Iraq failed to effectively bring the country’s Sunni minority into the governing process, leaving ISIS with a disaffected ethnic group more willing to join its cause.
On top of that, Obama repeated Bush era's mistake by bombing Libya with American allies, & we can see how wonderfully democratic the country has become, & now helping Saudi coalition, with its British & French allies, in creating another humanitarian crisis &, perhaps, radicalization of Yemeni youths. Obama is clearly not learning from past Presidents' mistakes in bombing other countries to smithereens & then not investing in the development of those countries. Cases in point: Afghanistan, Iraq & Libya.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
President Barack Obama traced the origins of Islamic State militants back to the presidency of George W. Bush & the invasion of Iraq back in 2003, arguing that its growth was an “unintended consequence” of the war.
In an interview with Vice News, President Obama said the rise of Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS/ISIL) can be directly linked to America’s excursion into Iraq under Bush.
“Two things: One is, ISIL is a direct outgrowth of Al-Qaeda in Iraq that grew out of our invasion,” Obama said in an interview with VICE News. “Which is an example of unintended consequences. Which is why we should generally aim before we shoot.”
Obama stated that he is “confident” a coalition consisting of 60 nations “will slowly push back ISIL out of Iraq,” but added that the challenge of stopping extremism won’t stop unless there is a political solution to the internal strife affecting so many countries in the Middle East.
“What I’m worried about” he said, “is even if ISIL is defeated, the underlying problem of disaffected Sunnis around the world – but particularly in some of these areas including Libya, including Yemen – where a young man who’s growing up has no education, has no prospects for the future, is looking around & the one way he can get validation, power, respect, is if he’s a fighter."
“That’s a problem we’re going to have, generally. And we can’t keep on thinking about counterterrorism & security as entirely separate from diplomacy, development, education.”
The president dismissed concerns that the US spends too much on foreign aid, noting that just over 1% of the federal budget goes to other nations. He argued that “we should be thinking about making investments” overseas that will prevent America from sending troops to engage in military operations.
Obama’s comments regarding ISIS mark the first time he has framed the extremist group’s existence as a consequence of American foreign policy decisions. The president’s opponents have often argued that his withdrawal of US troops from Iraq in 2011 left space for groups like ISIS to grow. At the same time, the Shia-dominated central government of Iraq failed to effectively bring the country’s Sunni minority into the governing process, leaving ISIS with a disaffected ethnic group more willing to join its cause.
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