Earlier today, Sat. Dec. 27, 2014 Kossak J Edward put up a significant diary, Torture in a Nation of Laws. I hope many people read it.
Last week on Friday Dec. 19, 2014 Juan Gonzales of Democracy Now! - A Daily Global Independent News Hour reported that "A human rights group in Berlin, Germany, has filed a criminal complaint against the architects of the George W. Bush administration’s torture program." Amy Goodman then joined Mr. Gonzales and the two delivered the segment entitled, "Should Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld & CIA Officials Be Tried for Torture? War Crimes Case Filed in Germany." Both video and rush transcript are available on the link here. That report included this statement:
"The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights has accused former Bush administration officials, including CIA Director George Tenet and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, of war crimes, and called for an immediate investigation by a German prosecutor."
On Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2014, Amy Goodman reported that "Calls are increasing for the prosecution of George W. Bush administration officials tied to the CIA torture program." On Monday Attorney General Holder, and indirectly Mr. Obama, had been called out on the issues.
See both video and rush transcript: "Bush & Cheney Should Be Charged with War Crimes Says Col. Wilkerson, Former Aide to Colin Powell".
Please read the brief Wed. Dec. 24,2014 item "Mark Udall Can Make History By Releasing The Torture Report" in which Amy Goodman with Denis Moynihan write:
"Sen. Mark Udall ... can release the full torture report. As a sitting senator, he is protected by the Speech or Debate Clause of the Constitution. He cannot be prosecuted. Mike Gravel has advice for Mark Udall. Since the secret report is already in the Congressional Record, Gravel says: “What he has to do is ... take this record of 6,000 pages, put a press release describing why he’s doing it, and release it to the public. It’s that simple."
The NINETY-FIRST (91st) CONGRESS began January 3, 1969 and Senator number 1653, Mr. Mike Gravel of Alaska was sworn, serving through January 3, 1981, the end of the NINETY-SIXTH (96th) CONGRESS. Senator Gravel is significant in U.S. history for reasons you will remember or learn anew if you see the video and transcript of
"Mike Gravel to Senator Mark Udall: Make Full Torture Probe Public Like I Did with Pentagon Papers", Fri. Dec. 26, 2014.
Friday, Dec. 26, 2014 Amy Goodman interviewed SEN. MARK UDALL in "Mike Gravel to Senator Mark Udall: Make Full Torture Probe Public Like I Did with Pentagon Papers" (video & transcript here) who said
"The CIA has lied to its overseers in the public, destroyed and tried to hold back evidence, spied on the Senate, made false charges against our staff, and lied about torture and the results of torture. And no one has been held to account. ... There are right now people serving in high-level positions at the agency who approved, directed or committed acts related to the CIA’s detention and interrogation program. It’s bad enough not to prosecute these officials, but to reward or promote them and risk the integrity of the U.S. government to protect them is incomprehensible. The president needs to purge his administration of high-level officials who were instrumental to the development and running of this program."
SENATOR MIKE GRAVEL participated in this breathtaking, historic interview. Give a Pulitzer To Ms. Goodman and each Senator! Then polish and distribute an
earned Nobel for both Senators Gravel and Udall.
Previously, on Tues. May 27, 2014, in a Democracy Now! exclusive"Former Counterterrorism Czar Richard Clarke: Bush Committed War Crimes"Czar Richard Clarke: Bush Committed War Crimes", the nation’s former top counter-terrorism official has said he believes President George W. Bush is guilty of war crimes for launching the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Monday June 2, 2014 the full interview of Mr. Clarke by Ms. Goodman and Aaron Maté was broadcast in two segments, respectively entitled,
"Former Counterterrorism Czar Richard Clarke: U.S. Drone Program Under Obama 'Got Out of Hand'," and
"Ex-Counterterrorism Czar Richard Clarke: Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld Committed War Crimes". Each segment has its own video and transcript.
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) [Infographic] The Torture Architects ... "Hover over a former government official below to learn more about their role in the torture program.
Read more about how the Obama administration can ensure accountability for torture." -- As ACLU said, "In January 2009, shortly after entering office, President Obama took important steps to dismantle the torture program. But in the following years, his administration undermined that early promise by thwarting accountability for torture.
... Accountability for torture is a moral, legal, and national security imperative."
November 2014 the U.N. heard about U.S. excesses:
GENEVA (24 November 2014) – The UN Committee against Torture ended its 53rd session at Palais des Nations in Geneva. Among the issues discussed during the 53rd session was: United States - Extraterritorial application of the Convention; inquiries into allegations of torture overseas; Guantanamo Bay detention facilities, transfer of detainees and reliance on diplomatic assurances; interrogation techniques; solitary confinement; use of death penalty; sexual violence, including rape, in prisons; excessive use of force by police, police brutality; sexual abuse in the US military.
Go here, scroll down to U.S. flag, click on the radio buttons to expand each category, then click on the download link to open the official document of the category you chose.
For example,
The Concluding observation on the third to fifth periodic reports of United States (ADVANCE UNEDITED VERSION) are here (pdf - English)
UN Human Rights, on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/... Twitter: http://twitter.com/... YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/... Storify: http://storify.com/... More about the Committee against Torture: http://www.ohchr.org/...
Kevin Gosztola reported on Nov. 12th "UN Committee Against Torture Grills US Delegation Over Record Complying with Treaty Ban"
Any questions? War Criminals.
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