Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Torture now on the US statute books

No this is not a photo of George Bush aides and supporters applauding Dubya on signing his name unassisted, and neither is this Bush signing some international treaty intended to benefit humanity. This photo, taken yesterday, shows President Bush being applauded for signing the Military Commissions Act 2006, which authorises the brutal interrogation of terror suspects.

It can be queried why harsh interrogation tactics needed the presidential stamp of approval. After all the US has detained without trial, without access to legal counsel, and tortured prisoners for the last three years at Guantanamo Bay and at holding centres such as the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. As far as the White House is concerned, such prisoners are exempt from protection under the Geneva Convention.

Signing the new Act, Bush said: "Every member of the Congress who voted for this bill has helped our nation rise to the task that history has given us. Some voted to support this bill even when a majority of their party voted the other way.

"...This bill spells out specific recognizable offenses that would be considered crimes in the handling of detainees so that our men and women who question captured terrorists can perform their duties to the fullest extent of the law."

What Bush is really saying is that US security organisations, such as the CIA, can now use whatever interrogation techniques they need and without fear of prosecution. This is of course nothing new. On 20th December 2000, Congress passed a law (114 STAT. 2840 Public law 1-6-56 Dec.27.2000) providing full protection to any agent acting outside the law and under orders from the Director of Central Intelligence.

Human rights activists may well protest, but with an estimated 650,000 Iraqis already killed since the US invasion, with control of the world's oil and gas supplies at stake and with the US hell bent on securing that control, an additional few hundred tortured unfortunates is a price worth paying.


JB

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