CONFIRMED: U.S. Hid Detainees From The Red Cross

McClatchy Newspapers:

The U.S. military hid the locations of suspected terrorist detainees and concealed harsh treatment to avoid the scrutiny of the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to documents that a Senate committee released Tuesday.

"We may need to curb the harsher operations while ICRC is around. It is better not to expose them to any controversial techniques," Lt. Col. Diane Beaver, a military lawyer who's since retired, said during an October 2002 meeting at the Guantanamo Bay prison to discuss employing interrogation techniques that some have equated with torture. Her comments were recorded in minutes of the meeting that were made public Tuesday. At that same meeting, Beaver also appeared to confirm that U.S. officials at another detention facility -- Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan -- were using sleep deprivation to "break" detainees well before then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld approved that technique. "True, but officially it is not happening," she is quoted as having said.

A third person at the meeting, Jonathan Fredman, the chief counsel for the CIA's Counterterrorism Center, disclosed that detainees were moved routinely to avoid the scrutiny of the ICRC, which keeps tabs on prisoners in conflicts around the world.

Read the whole story: McClatchy Newspapers

Comments

[texastrixie]

This is the same thing the Nazis did in the 30's when there were only "work" camps for Jews, gays and other "undesirab­les." I think it was even the Red Cross that came to the Nazi camps where the prisoners were dressed appropriately (for the day), deloused, and with evidence of being fed in a humane manner. Of course, it was all lies, but this allowed the rest of the world to brush away evidence that organized torture camps existed.

So, the very horror that Americans fought and died to irradicate in the 1940's is now how we, ourselves, wage war. Is this really what our fathers and grandfathers fought for - so that we could torture people in secret? Brings tears to the eyes.

[thromulese]

So what exactly makes us better than china, n Korea, Egypt or any other totalitarian dictatorship? Bush has dragged us so far into the slime and muck that it is hard seeing us climb out.

I despise him for all he’s done and can’t wait till he’s in Texas killing shrubs instead of soldiers, civilians, and our constitution.

[lornejl]

Is there anyone here that didn't know this years ago ? The media treats us like we are in 2nd grade.

[truthoutdotduh]

I knew about this and much more as it was happening. I have been watching this whole thing unfold very carefully - from 9/11 to Afghanistan, and to Iraq. I was one of the few, evidently who disagreed with the decision to invade Afghanistan. Many needless atrocities occurred there as well, and much has never been or perhaps never will be reported in the mainstream media. I think I was right on with just about everything from the start to now.

Many people have gotten to the point where they just can not care anymore. They have been hit with too much BS for too long. I can empathize with that, but I in fact still do care. Those who run this country are some of the worst criminals of all time, but they have so much power that they just may be untouchable.

One nonviolent way to fight back would be the simple act of everybody, or at least if a large number of us would just stop driving cars completely for a while. Get bikes, get scooters, use public transit systems, and whatever it takes to just STOP using petro products as much as possible.

I got a bike, and I have shared rides. I am 51 and somewhat out of shape, but by the end of the summer my legs should be stronger, and I hoping to drop a few pounds. And . . . BEST OF ALL, I AM NOT FEEDING THE BEAST!

[ymax]

Way to go DUBYA.

you uot did youself you scumbum.

[SouthpawSass]

Hey, according to Wikipedia, The Guardian says that HuffPo is "the most influential blog in the world."

The World! Huffington Post is the new super power...

[levibatgirl]

No wonder they're going all elitist and not letting just any comment post. Too bad they are so indiscriminate about it and are defeating the purpose I think.

[SouthpawSass]

They've changed, no doubt. And the change hasn't been such an improvement from when I first came here...

[lornejl]

I love b*ing *ble to *xpres* my*elf on ******** matters . Go HuffPo !!!

[LOL123]

Becareful about Wikipedia.­..anyone can edit it. Huffington Post got me started Blogging when James McMurty blogged about Hillary Clinton...­he also said he would support Obama if Hillary didn't make it.....tha­nk G-d for small favors! OBAMA 08

[olivia]

Baloney. The moderation has ruined it. The bias has ruined it.

[wadenelson1]

I'm shocked. SHOCKED I tell you!

[Y2KCockroach]

Let us be completely clear on this: the Bush administration has constructed and run Gulags. The Gulags were meant to hold those who the Bushies felt were a threat. The Gulags were designed to restrict the rule of law, as well as the oversight of the American people; and the Bush Republicans did their best to keep the Gulags a secret, as they had to in order to violate the rule of law, as well as the Constitution. This is NO different than what the Soviets did during the 1950's, except on a somewhat smaller scale.

[JohnInDallas]

My father and his parents fled Nazi Germany in 1935 because they were Jewish. On my dad's 18th birthday he enlisted in the US Air Force and became a tail gunner on a B-17. His plane was shot down. He spent a year in a German POW camp and he often said that it was the Red Cross that kept him alive. If my dad were alive today, he would be outraged over this!

Is there and end to the shame that George W. bush and members of his BADministration have wrought on this country and the rest of the world???

SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!

[SouthpawSass]

Tail gunner eh? Dangerous job. Did he get to see the movie Memphis Belle?

[Stretchumall]

"Lt. Col. Diane Beaver"
ROFLMFAO

[levibatgirl]

Hey Beavis, Butthead is looking for you.

[sisterdebmac]

Yeah, they're gonna make a live action movie soon. Better get to set!

[SouthpawSass]

Oh brother.

[JuneCleaversBeaver]

And WHAT, may I ask, do you find so funny?

/s/ Mrs Ward (June) Cleaver.

[VolvoBirkenstock]

atta girl, June

[ThatsNotFunny]

I don't get it... What's so funny about the name Diane?

[SouthpawSass]

Oh it's Diane? I thought STrech was making fun of the Lt. Col...

[Tommygun264]

He said, "Beaver". Heh, heheh, heh...

[levibatgirl]

I was watching on PBS just the other day about studies that were done at some University on sleep deprivation. When lab rats were deprived of sleep for 5 days they started to die.

Sleep deprivation causes serious physical changes and effects all areas physically as well as creating symptoms similar to mentally ill patients.

[guajiro]

Serious??? I'll say! It causes death! Were it not for your comment I wouldn't have googled it, but here's the article. Apparently, it will always lead to death if not stopped.

"Adaptation to unmitigated sleep loss is not possible, because it is always fatal, whether the deprivation is total (9) or selective for REM sleep (26). ".

http://ajpendo.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/289/1/E68

[SouthpawSass]

Hey, I saw something like that too. I told my 15 year old he needed 9-10 hours of sleep a night. He just looked at me and said, "Okay, goodnight.­" I didn't see him til the next morning. Sometimes kids can listen.

[SouthpawSass]

So, we invaded Iraq because Saddam was not cooperating with inspectors and we claimed he hid WMD's, where as the US Govt. did not cooperate with the Red Cross and actually did hide Detainees.­..

Hmmmm - I say someone's due for an overtaking­....

[lornejl]

It's hard to find a good overtaker.

[SouthpawSass]

There's always the Yellow pages.

[ThatsNotFunny]

Alas, with this war, it's hard to find a good undertaker, too. They're so busy.

[PepperzMom]

Rephrase:

"Hmmmm - I say many someones are due for an undertakin­g...of a trip to the Hague".

JMO

[SouthpawSass]

Ahhh yes, I see your point...

[rooks]

I am afraid that this will not be the last of appalling info to come out. I have no idea what they are putting in High School history books, but they need to be honest and teach younger generations the truth.

[nopartygal]

Are you kidding? And sully the glorious "image" of this amazing nation? Not too likely...

Who was it that said "The first casualty of history is the truth"? (I may have paraphrased that quote some...). Whoever it was, he/she was dead on.

[billysviez]

these people in Our Government wouldn't know the truth if it hit them in the face. We have very, very few who care about this Country or We The People. nothing will ever happen to these criminals, because of so many of us Cowardly Americans.

[incontempt]

More broken laws and agreements from the GOP,

What shame have they wrought upon my country.

[vaughan]

Another outrage, and the American public just doesn't get it. We have to show we are better than communist China, or the old Soviet Union. Man, what ever happened to the country that protected freedom? I am so ready to get rid of this Administration!

[conniedogs]

What in the world is going on?