WikiLeaks Reveals Secret Guantánamo Files, Exposes Detention Policy as a Construct of Lies

[EFerrari]

WikiLeaks Reveals Secret Guantánamo Files, Exposes Detention Policy as a Construct of Lies
Andy Worthington

25.4.11

Well, the cat is now out of the bag, and Guantánamo will, hopefully, be closer to closure — and the lies that powerful Americans tell about it will, hopefully, be closer to silence — as a result. For the last few weeks, I’ve been working as a media partner with WikiLeaks, along with the Washington Post, McClatchy Newspapers, El Pais, the Daily Telegraph, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, Aftonbladet, La Repubblica and L’Espresso, navigating thousands of previously unseen documents about Guantánamo that were made available to the whistleblowing website last year, allegedly by Pfc Bradley Manning, who has been imprisoned for nearly a year by the US government, awaiting a trial.

With the release date of the project brought forward unexpectedly, the files — profiles of nearly all of the 779 prisoners who have been held at Guantánamo, compiled by the Joint Task Force responsible for running the prison — have begun to be made available on WikiLeaks’ website, accompanied by an article that I wrote introducing them, and offering a first attempt to indicate their importance — both in what they hide and what they reveal — along with a guide to how to read them.

Needless to say, there will be much more analysis in the days and weeks to come, but for now I hope you enjoy my explanation, cross-posted below, which is borne of five years of research and writing about Guantánamo, filtered through a careful analysis of JTF-GTMO’s compromised and compromising cache of documents, which, as I explain, constitutes “the anatomy of a colossal crime perpetrated by the US government on 779 prisoners who, for the most part, are not and never have been the terrorists the government would like us to believe they are.”

http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2011/04/25/wikileaks-reveals-secret-guantanamo-files-exposes-detention-policy-as-a-construct-of-lies/

[defendandprotect]

1. k

[EFerrari]

2. Andy Worthington probably knows more about Guantanamo

than anyone else. It's good to see that Wikileaks and McClatchy, etc., had the sense to go with him on this release.

He's on twitter as @GuantanamoAndy.

[defendandprotect]

3. Trust that many are looking at the website and sifting thru ...

perhaps you, as well?

Kicked the thread because I hope many will do so --- !!

I'll try to click on sometime later -- but I don't think I'm very good at this -- :)

It is really sad if Americans ever actually believed the "guilt" of those we rounded

up or the whole Al Qaeda myth.

What Americans need to understand is that TORTURE is introduced into societies when

necessary to control the public --

[EFerrari]

4. And thanks.

I'm mostly marking to read after work at the moment.

[DirkGently]

5. Farmers & cab drivers. Children. Any doubt THIS is why we "can't" release them?

[EFerrari]

10. They almost killed Sami al Haj -- for being an al Jazeera photographer.

And nobody did a thing about it. Nada.

[dipsydoodle]

6. Associated article : Guantanamo Detainee Files Hint at Psychological Research

The release by WikiLeaks of the secret assessments of hundreds of detainees by the Joint Interrogation Force at Guantanamo, spanning the period 2002 to 2009, provide little in the way of evidence of the torture and abuse suffered by the supposed "enemy combatants." While retelling the many pieces of gossip, informant's tales and evidence of torture that are mixed in with any hard evidence of terrorist ties, the reports indicate in a number of instances "areas of potential exploitation" that go beyond that of mere intelligence gathering.

The listing of such "areas" appears to be limited to reports originating in 2006 and later.

Even when the aim of the "exploitation" areas are ostensibly related to intelligence gathering, they often seek further information on al-Qaeda-related matters or individuals even after detainees have denied any connections to al-Qaeda or other extremist groups, or have recanted such ties as were announced originally under tortured duress. It often appears the government is continuing to hold prisoners, if not torture them, until the prisoner gives them the story they want to hear.

http://www.truthout.org/guantanamo-detainee-reports-hint-psychological-research/1303743823

[hfojvt]

7. is that link working for anybody else?

It won't open on my computer. I get an internet explorer error.

[dipsydoodle]

8. OK in the UK

On Explorer and Firefox.

[EFerrari]

9. I just checked it. It works okay for me in FF. n/t