Is It Torture What Does Is Mean

Is it Torture? What does “is” mean? Demonstrators at Abu Ghuraib Demand Apology

“ When asked by a reporter whether torture has taken place in Iraq, Rumsfeld said, “My impression is that what has been charged thus far is abuse, which I believe technically is different from torture.” He added that he did not know “that torture took place. “”

Voices of the Iraqi prisoners abused are beginning to surface in the press. There was a demonstration on Wednesday outside Abu Ghuraib prison, with crowds demanding a US apology. ‘ People in the crowd chanted “democracy doesn’t mean killing innocent people.” Some yelled, “America and Israel are the enemies of God.” They also hoisted a banner that said “Free women or we will launch jihad.” ‘ Other Iraqis went to Abu Ghuraib to await releases of prisoners on Wednesday.: “We would rather have Saddam’s hell than Bush’s paradise,” affirms Haidar Hassan, whose brother Ahmad, 25, has been held at the prison for nearly four months. ‘

A reader wrote in to suggest we all look at The Project to Enforce the Geneva Conventions and The War Crimes Act of 1996 (pdf).

Another reader wrote, “ Has any of the major news outlets, or US poiticians, noted the following points in Gen Taguba’s report: 1) he refers to Military Intelligence, CIA, contract personnel, and Third Nation personnel as conducting interrogations. Who are the “Third Nation” personnel? . . . 2) The report states that Gen Geoffrey Miller, Commandant at Quantanimo, was sent to Iraq in the Fall of ’03 to make reccomendations on interrogations. He recommended that a Military Intell Brigade be put in overall control of Abu Ghraib prison and that the Military Police Brigade personnel ast as “an enabler for interrogation.” Gen Tagubu concluded that these recommendations of Gen Miller led to a lack of communication and fragmentation of responsibility. Gen Miller has now been placed in charge of ALL Iraqi detiontion centers/prisons. The “fox in the hen house”? “

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