New Torture Tapes Found; May Be Released!

[kpete]

New Torture Tapes Found; May Be Released!
by: Something The Dog Said

10/06/09 @ 09:08:19 AM MDT

It looks as though the Center for Constitutional Rights is going to be the one to move the ball forward on getting the facts about the so called Enhanced Interrogation Techniques out, once again. Yesterday they learned of existence of video and audio tape evidence of the interrogation of the Mr. al Qahtani, the prisoner who was the victim of the "First Special Interrogation Plan" by the US Government.

....................

In October of 2002 military dogs were used to menace Mr. al Qahtani. He was then subjected to 160 days of severe isolation, where he was kept in a cell with extremely bright lights on 24 hours a day. His only break from this was occasional 20 hour interrogations. In 2006 FBI Assistant Director T. J. Harrington reported to the Army as part of their investigation of interrogations at Guantanamo Bay that a prisoner whom he later identified as Mr. al Qahtani was exhibited symptoms of :

"extreme psychological trauma": "In September or October of 2002 FBI agents observed that a canine was used in an aggressive manner to intimidate detainee and, in November 2002, FBI agents observed Detainee (redacted) after he had been subjected to intense isolation for over three months. During that time period, (redacted) was totally isolated (with the exception of occasional interrogations) in a cell that was always flooded with light. By late November, the detainee was evidencing behavior consistent with extreme psychological trauma (talking to non-existent people, reportedly hearing voices, crouching in a corner of the cell covered with a sheet for hours on end). It is unknown to the FBI whether such extended isolation was approved by appropriate DoD authorities."

.......... Starting sometime in November of that year and continuing until January of 2003 Mr. al Qahtani was the victim of the First Special Interrogation Plan. Below are some of the actions involved in this plan:

Severe sleep deprivation combined with 20-hour interrogations for months at a time;
• Severe isolation;
• Religious and sexual humiliation;
• Threats of rendition to countries that torture more than the United States;
• Threats made against his family, including female members of his family;
• Strip searching, body searches and forced nudity, including in the presence of female personnel;
• Denial of the right to practice his religion, including prohibiting him from praying for prolonged times and during Ramadan;
• Threatening to desecrate the Koran in front of him;
• Humiliating him by forcing him to bark like a dog, dance with a mask on his face, and pick up piles of trash with his hands cuffed while he was called "a pig";
• Placing him in stress positions for prolonged times;
• Placing him in tight restraints repeatedly for many months or days and nights;
• Threats and attacks by dogs;
• Beatings;
• Exposure to low temperatures for prolonged times;
• Exposure to loud music for prolonged times; and
• Forcible administration of frequent IVs by medical personnel during interrogation, which Mr. al Qahtani described as feeling like "repetitive stabs" each day.

Now, none of this is new news, so why is the Dog writing about it? Well Mr. al Qahtani has been charged along with five other men in involvement in the 9/11 plot. In 2006 Mr. al Qahtani also filed a habeas corpus petition disputing his statements which the government is basing its case, claiming the admissions were made under torture or threat of torture. Until yesterday, three years after the filing of this petition the US government had never admitted to the existence of these tapes.

This is a huge deal as in November of 2008 Judge Thomas Hogan had issued an order that the government turn over any exculpatory it had on Mr. al Qahtani and do so promptly. In February of this year the CCR had to go back to the judge because of the failure of the government to turn over any of evidence at all. The tapes are going to be ugly as they will show the time after the prolonged isolation and during the special interrogation plan. If you would like to read more about Mr. al Qahtani's case you find it here.
http://ccrjustice.org/ourcases/current-cases/al-qahtani-v.-bush%2C-al-qahtani-v.-gates
http://ccrjustice.org/press-releases
more:
http://squarestate.net/showDiary.do;jsessionid=55C091C1807C485F97ECC36453A4D83D?diaryId=8791

[redqueen]

1. I hope they're released.

Enough of protecting the guilty, under the guise of maintaining stability. I expect that's exactly the claim we'll hear.