Geneva Conventions

The Lawyers Who Would Torture

David A. Love | Posted 10.29.2009 | Books


David A. Love

Throughout history we have witnessed the ways in which societies compromise their legal systems to oppress the many, benefit the few, and sanction the unconscionable.

Specter of Forced Repatriation

Allan Gerson | Posted 10.15.2009 | World


Allan Gerson

The hunger strike of more than two dozen Iranian-Americans came to a close Thursday with the news that 36 Iranian dissidents forcibly taken by Iraqi forces had been allowed to return to their enclave north of Baghdad.

Is Bagram Obama's New Secret Prison?

Andy Worthington | Posted 09.15.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

The Obama administration is following Bush's lead by unilaterally rewriting the Geneva Conventions, presumably to allow it to continue exploiting prisoners of war for their supposed intelligence value.

The Torture Apologist's Fallacy

Larisa Alexandrovna | Posted 10.17.2009 | Politics


Larisa Alexandrovna

If a person in US custody is presumed innocent until proven guilty, then it does not matter whether or not torture works, does it? We don't torture innocent people, right?

McCain Admits Bush Administration Violated International Law

Washington Independent | Daphne Eviatar | Posted 10.16.2009 | Politics


Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said on "Face the Nation" Sunday that -- like most Republicans and even some Democrats, including some in the president's c...

Why Obama Must Fully Prosecute Bush's War Criminals

Andy Ostroy | Posted 09.25.2009 | Politics


Andy Ostroy

We know more about abuses by the CIA in interrogating terror suspects. Republicans are claiming witch hunt -- this from a party that impeached a U.S president on charges over an adulterous affair.

Bagram Isn't The New Guantanamo, It's The Old Guantanamo

Andy Worthington | Posted 09.15.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

From what I have been able to gather about the workings of Bagram, I have no reason to conclude that the prison is now being run according to the Geneva Conventions.

And the War Drags On: Hot Zones, Cold Logic, and the Challenge of Peace

Randall Amster | Posted 09.13.2009 | Politics


Randall Amster

Despite the gains reflected today in the legal and cultural shifts, we are still embroiled in military conflicts that appear long-term and intractable.

Geneva Conventions: 60th Birthday Is No Time To Retire

Louis Belanger | Posted 09.10.2009 | World


Louis Belanger

The Geneva Conventions are 60 years old this week. They represent the most widely ratified and recognized legal instrument worldwide. But they are now being violated in every modern conflict.

Military Commissions: Government Flounders, As Admiral Hutson Nails Problems

Andy Worthington | Posted 08.08.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

A legal quagmire that lacks legitimacy and maintains key policies of the Bush administration's "War on Terror" is almost too awful to contemplate.

Never Forget: The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

Andy Worthington | Posted 07.27.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Sadly, our celebrity-obsessed world is unlikely to pay much attention to the International Day in Support of the Victims of Torture, as the death of Michael Jackson dominates headlines.

Death at Guantanamo Hovers Over Obama's Middle East Visit

Andy Worthington | Posted 07.05.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

A death at Guantánamo is always felt keenly in the Muslim world, and is also uncomfortable for the Obama administration, which claims that it is running a "humane" facility.

Report on Cheney Shows Why We Need The Truth

Jon Soltz | Posted 07.04.2009 | Politics


Jon Soltz

Did Dick Cheney knowingly send intelligence officials to Congress to mislead them about the use of waterboarding? Did the Vice President himself?

Gen. Petraeus: US Violated Geneva Convention

Crooks And Liars | Posted 06.29.2009 | World


Gen. Petraeus joined FOX News and Martha MacCallum today and gave a blockbuster interview, but not one Fox expected. Once again, he called for the res...

Congressman Jim Moran on Torture and Accountability

Kathleen Wells, J.D. | Posted 06.14.2009 | Politics


Kathleen Wells, J.D.

Congressman Moran: Those who are culpable need to be judged by their peers and I think we need to put in place some kinds of structures to ensure that we never repeat our mistakes.

UN Gets Israeli Cluster Bomb Map For Lebanon: 1 In 4 Undetonated

BBC | Posted 06.13.2009 | World


Israel has handed over details of where it dropped cluster bombs in Lebanon during the war in 2006, UN peacekeeping forces have confirmed....

Obama's First 100 Days: A Start On Guantanamo, But Not Enough

Andy Worthington | Posted 06.04.2009 | World


Andy Worthington

Just Binyam Mohamed and the Yemeni doctor, Ayman Batarfi have been cleared for release. At this rate, of course, it will take decades to close Guantánamo.

Something Bigger Than Phil: An Agnostic Looks Up During the Swine Flu Outbreak

Elissa Altman | Posted 05.30.2009 | Living


Elissa Altman

A few weeks ago, my partner and I were watching The Ten Commandments, as we always do during the Passover holiday. It's a fabulous bit of spectacle, i...

Watergate, Prosecuted. Why Not Water(boarding)gate?

Paul Abrams | Posted 05.28.2009 | Politics


Paul Abrams

The mess Nixon left Ford -- inflation and recession, a war winding down -- didn't preclude pursuing the larger Watergate affair, and the regime that gave rise to it. What makes waterboarding different?

Torture Makes My Head Hurt

Dave Hackel | Posted 05.28.2009 | Politics


Dave Hackel

I'm very confused about the whole torture situation and the duality of the arguments is giving me a headache.

Commission on Accountability Should Be Part of Our Response to America's Torture Nightmare

Steve Clemons | Posted 05.27.2009 | Politics


Steve Clemons

We need something like a truth commission in this country to explore how and why America became a nation that embraced torture at the highest levels of political office.

Investigating Bush-Cheney Torture Policies "By the Book"

Hoyt Hilsman | Posted 05.23.2009 | Politics


Hoyt Hilsman

It would be betrayal of the sacrifices of Americans like my grandfather to selectively prosecute the low-level offenders at Abu Ghraib and ignore the policy makers who set the violations of the Geneva Convention in motion.

Will Obama Prosecute the Captured Somali 'Pirate' in a US Court?

Jeremy Scahill | Posted 05.14.2009 | World


Jeremy Scahill

What would a "pirate" defense actually look like? Remember, some Somalis -- and other international observers -- do not exactly see the "pirates" as being 100% unjustified in their actions.

Guantanamo's Long-Term Hunger Striker Should Be Sent Home

Andy Worthington | Posted 04.20.2009 | World


Andy Worthington

Ahmed Zuhair, a 35-year old Saudi prisoner at Guantánamo -- and a father of ten -- has been on a hunger strike since June 2005, at the start of a fra...

Guantanamo Meets Geneva Rules: Pentagon

New York Times | Posted 03.23.2009 | Politics


A Pentagon report requested by President Obama on the conditions at the Guantánamo Bay detention center concludes that the prison complies with the h...