Obama Administration Still Fighting Release of Torture Evidence

The Washington Independent:

This case has dropped a off the radar screen lately, but Bob Egelko at the San Francisco Chronicle today reminds us that the Obama administration is still fighting on three different fronts release of information that would likely show that U.S. officials tortured British former Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed.

Read the whole story: The Washington Independent

Comments

[lilma]

My President is doing more for those detainees then any progessives group out there. More and more are being release under the radar quietly without any media fanfare. Look what happen, MSM got in let Dick Chenay and all of his rethugs, including his thuglike daughter take hostage the msm and let this fool say what ever he want and his thugs. Where were you (all of you who comment on this site) who put these editorial on these blogs, where were you in the polls that msm loves to show on TV.
Change come about when all of us get involves and yes I e-mail every on-line media msnbc, cnn, and yes faux news, abc, nbc, cbs and any media outlet . I got his back to push for change. What has you done lately tol yake your country back?

[jmpurser]

Our president has become an accomplice after the fact in the Bush war crimes. Thanks to his refusal to face up to his duty as president we've got our second criminal administration.

[jalex26000]

Ill tell you what Im doing. exposing that obama is attempting to cover up the rape and sodomy of young boys and girls by the US military and the CIA (reported by Sy Hersh). obama will prevent them from getting out because the US citizens dont realize the war on terror is fake and the things being done to innocent men women and children in their name is appalling.

these are not republican or democrat issues. this is disgusting. The atrocities being carried out in iraq are NOT being done in my name or freedom. these are crimes against humanity. bush and the other members of his administration need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law!

OBAMA=BUSH

[fredisfred]

Thanks for covering this up, Prez. You are such an a-hole.

[Whinger]

Those who are not for the truth are against it, there can be no exceptions to the rule!

In this respect, nothing has changed.

[jmpurser]

Agreed. It's a pretty clear issue.

[Teutonicus]

by sweeping crimes under the carpet and not bringing those who committed those crimes to justice, you become an accomplice of those crimes. Period!

[jmpurser]

Agreed

[wouzzie]

wow, i think it is really really bad.
the prictures i mean

[sviolette]

They are horrible and disgusting.

[sviolette]

They are horrible.

[jalex26000]

pictures and video! Rape and sodomy of young boys and girls in front of their parents (and possibly murder)!

[mcantwell]

The British Government is heavily involved in this as well.

Quote: "Mohamed has charged that agents from MI5, one of Britain's intelligence services, as well as the FBI and the CIA, were involved in his interrogation and alleged torture in Morocco and other countries before he was sent to Guantanamo in 2004."

"Binyam Mohamed's allegations _ including repeated beatings and having his genitals sliced by a scalpel _ have sparked lawsuits that could ensnare the American and British governments in protracted court battles."

"Lawyers for Mohamed are seeking secret U.S. intelligence and legal documents they say will prove the Bush administration sent Mohamed to Morocco, where it knew he would be tortured. They claim the documents also prove Britain was complicit in the abuse."

"He was arrested in Pakistan in 2002 for trying to return to Britain on a false passport and held in Karachi for three months, during which time he said he was beaten, hung by his wrists from a leather strap and questioned by at least one MI5 agent."

"Mohamed has said he was interrogated by at least one British security agent from MI5 in Pakistan and that British intelligence officials fed material about his time in Britain to his interrogators in Morocco. The very worst moment came when I realized in Morocco that the people who were torturing me were receiving questions and materials from British intelligence."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/23/binyam-mohamed-freed-afte_n_169064.html

[sviolette]

Comment section at your link is closed. Why?

[mcantwell]

Feb. 23, 2009 article. The Binyam Mohamed torture case has been ongoing for sometime.

[Whinger]

The british government tortured the Irish, that's their style for generations!

http://www.irishdemocrat.co.uk/features/ba-torture/

[sviolette]

Why hasn't Ireland brought the responsible to justice either through their own courts or through international courts?

[PWM]

I suspect part of the problem, a big part, is the generals don't want these pictures released as they feel it will endanger our troops. We know that the previous GOP administration permitted the torture of women and children, and I suspect these pictures are evidence of this crime.

[fishingriver]

That was how Bush spun it when refused to release evidence. But it was that we tortured that endangers our troops. And now that we refuse to bring the criminals to justice. THAT....is endangering our troops. Our failure to set this right.

[PWM]

I agree Bush and company should be brought up on charges of crimes against humanity. I was only remarking that Obama is in a tough spot with this evidence, he doesn't want to endanger the troops - and the generals are telling him not to release the information.

[CypressTree]

We need justice, regardless of embarrassment or the threat it may pose to our soldiers.

[PWM]

I don't agree. When our soldiers are home we can release the information, but to endanger our troops is immoral.

[sviolette]

If you think the generals care about the troops you are very badly mistaken. They care about their own butts. That's the only reason they don't want these pictures released. They are the people responsible for what these people do. If they cared about the throops then why is it that no one above sargent were even investigated for the last round of pictures out of Abu Ghraib? The generals know the American public wouldn't let that happen again.

[PWM]

Again, Obama is listening to the generals and feels they have a point. I agree, they do.

[DLocke]

For some reason I doubt that altruism is driving the obstruction.

[FearlessFreep]

If GIs can't operate safely in Iraq without the truth being suppressed, they should leave now!

[PWM]

I completely agree, bring our troops home. Until then, let us not endanger them unnecessarily.

[OliverTwist]

President Obama seems to be as much involved in obstructing justice regarding war crimes as President Bush.

[sviolette]

Obstruction of justice is exactly right. Obama knows that as well as anyone. He may be fighting this in court in order to make the courts look responsible for releasing these photos and to rule out political revenge.

[peacethinker]

I'm disappointed in Obama in several ways ... but I'd still rather have him in the White House than anyone from the GOP. He's gone way too center-right for me and following in Bush/Cheney footsteps way too often ... oh well... what can ya do ... he's still the best reasonable choice we had last year IMO

[fishingriver]

You are right. I voted for Obama and if the election were held today, I would still vote for him if McCain was again the option. But he isn't keeping his word on much of anything. He has given nothing to the left after making very direct promises about what he would do when elected. This is a prime example because Obama doesn't need congress approval to proceed with brining Bush to justice. As stupid as Bush was, he was smart enough to be responsive to his base. Obama has forgotten the liberals that were the boots on the ground. We (not centrists) were the ones who went door to door, made phone calls, got out the vote, and organized for him. If he persists in this, I won't vote for him in 2012. I will vote green party.

[TheApeMan]

exactly what I was thinking...I was a HUGE Obama Supporter, and now it seems he's not doing much of what he said he was going to do.
If the public option is not in the reform bill, that is a giant point against him, and the fact that he's not prosecuting the Bush Admin for torture, and seemingly is doing his best to prevent any info from coming out is quite disturbing.
I will probably vote 3rd party next time around.

[bluesmann]

Remember Obama...you promised to close Git-mo in Jan...

[sviolette]

That's not going to happen. The day he announced he was closing Gitmo he said a report would be completed in 6 months to determine what to do with the people detained there. The panel that was responsible for the report asked for a 6 month extension because they haven't come to an agreement on what to do. There is no way it should take a panel 1 year to determine that following present law is what needs to be done with these people.

[fishingriver]

I went to see Obama speak in Kansas City and (regarding Bush's illegal torture program) he said, "We will not have two forms of justice in America", and "No one is above the law". He lied to me but he can still correct this breech of justice. By withholding information necessary to prosecute the previous administration for illegally torturing detainees, he is complicit in the crime. If he releases the information, we will know he is actually serious about his word. Otherwise, we should not trust anything he says...period. I am waiting.

[CypressTree]

Who cares? They're brown and BO said we need to move forward! And the beat goes on..and the beat goes on..

[bbmill37]

I've had it with President Obama. I want my vote back. We are still in Iraq, we're still in Afghanistan and growing, he's protecting George Bush of all people, etcetera etcetera. Everything he said he wouldn't do. Will we EVER find a President with enough guts to go ofter those crooks? If he'd stop worrying about his poll numbers and the next election we might see some action. Until these people are tried for war crimes, I quit voting.

[Gretel1or2]

You have every opportunity to "take your vote back" in 2012. Just hope you will be satisfied with the outcome.

[CypressTree]

When we do take our votes back it will achieve one of two things: we will actually elect a progressive or a republican will get elected. The Former would be ideal but the latter would be fine. Apparently the Bush years weren't enough of a kick in the pants for the next President to support a truly Progressive agenda.

[H321]

So you want Obama to pass healthcare AND get involved in a criminal tribunal? And somehow you think these two things are possible? Get real. Plus, Obama has left it up to the Dept. of Justice to deal with this and so far... Holder is sitting on the fence. Also... American soldiers have pulled out of Iraqi cities. This is a process. I would love to see a Republican win in 2012. The same people that voted for Nader were the same people who cried endlessly that Bush had won.

[sviolette]

To start out Obama doesn't have to get involved in a criminal tribunal. That's the justice department's job. Yes it is possible to do both. The congress writes and debates laws and that includes healthcare reform. Obama doesn't even have to mediate those debates. Nor would he have to sit in on a legal tribunal of the Bush administration crimes.

[Purveyor]

Yawn

[Gretel1or2]

agree.

[DLocke]

Meaning that you think that crime is okay as long as you like the person trying to cover it up? Nice to see people have morals around here.

[fishingriver]

That is the way the republicans were about Bush. They defended his crimes simply because he was a republican. Look where it got the republican party?