End Torture and Illegal Detention, Once and For All
Sep 01, 2009
By Jerome Grossman
Amnesty International USA reports on the case of Mohammed Jawad, detained by U. S. intelligence five years ago at age 12 to 17 somewhere in the Middle East, sent to Guantánamo Bay prison, beaten, subjected to sleep deprivation and intense interrogation techniques, told his family would be killed if he did not confess, denied access to a lawyer. Recently the U.S. Supreme Court gave Jawad his day in court, he was ordered released, all charges were dropped and this week he arrived home. continued at http://relentlessliberal.blogspot.com/
Petraeus Supports Obama on Guantanamo, Torture
May 26, 2009
Senate members may have dealt President Obama a significant - even if temporary - defeat last week for his efforts to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay when they voted overwhelmingly (90 - 6) to prohibit its funding, but this weekend identified an additional, crucial ally for Obama and other progressives in their efforts to end practices that have undermined efforts to prevent terrorism. This time, his plan's endorsement came from the former leader of US forces in Iraq and current commander of CENTCOM, US forces in the broader Middle East - Gen. David Petraeus.
In an interview on Radio Free Europe on Sunday, Gen. Petraeus argued that closing the Guantanamo and ending torture would benefit the US in its efforts to combat terrorism.
Key excerpts below, or read the transcript here.
From Outrage to the Oval Office: A Long March
Feb 17, 2009
On January 22, President Obama’s second day in office, Council for a Livable World board member Brig. Gen. John Johns, along with Lt. Gen. Robert Gard, the chairman of our sister organization the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, stood behind the President in the Oval Office when he signed executive orders related to the incarceration, interrogation, and treatment of detainees. Both Gen. Johns and Gen. Gard wrote about what it was like to be in the Oval Office, and how they came to be activists against the Bush administration's torture policies.
From Brig. Gen. Johns John (USA, ret.):
On January 22, 2009, I – along with Lt. Gen. Robert Gard, the Center’s chairman – was among 16 generals and admirals of the U.S. Armed Forces who were invited to attend a signing ceremony in the Oval Office, where President Obama signed three directives and a memo addressing policies on torture and the detention center at Guantanamo. Gen. Gard and I have been members of a group of retired flag officers who met at various times with presidential candidates to lobby for changing Bush policies, especially those related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including torture. We had hoped that President Obama would take action early in his administration on this specific issue, but were elated and surprised that he did so on his second day in office. To take this action immediately reflects the importance the President places on this subject.
The group met in the Roosevelt Room for about 20-25 minutes with the President before the ceremony in the Oval Office. Vice President Biden and members of the legal staff joined the discussion. Both Obama and Biden expressed appreciation for the fruitful meetings they had had with the group during the campaign. President Obama had met for one hour in Des Moines, Iowa and Vice President Biden in New Hampshire. I was struck by the warm and gracious attitude of both the President and Vice President. Both showed a detailed knowledge of the policies on torture and interrogation techniques and fully understood the symbolic value of the changes that were being made.