Human Rights Investigator: Torture Investigation On Prisoner Deaths

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"Human Rights Investigator: Torture Investigation On Prisoner Deaths" by Democracy Now (May 14, 2009): http://www.democracynow.org

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Human Rights Investigator, Attorney John Sifton: Torture Investigation Should Focus on Estimated 100 Prisoner Deaths

We get reaction to the Senate hearing on torture from private investigator and attorney John Sifton, executive director of One World Research, which carries out research for law firms and human rights groups. Sifton has conducted extensive investigations into the CIA interrogation and detention program. He says any investigation of Bush administration torture and rendition should include an estimated 100 homicides of prisoners in US custody.

• http://www.democracynow.org/2009/5/14/human_rights_investigator_attorney_john...

John Sifton, private investigator and attorney based in New York. He is the executive director of One World Research, which carries out research for law firms and human rights groups. He was formerly at Human Rights Watch as the Asia Division researcher and then senior researcher on terrorism and counterterrorism. He has conducted extensive investigations into the CIA interrogation and detention program, and his latest article published on The Daily Beast is called "The Bush Administration Homicides".

• http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-05-05/how-many-were-tortu...
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[ZombieCobain]

1. Uh...you can love America, but love the way an adult loves. An adult will love something, yet recognize areas of improvement. By questioning our government constructively, we can improve America.

2. "Give away all our freedoms." Please list some of your freedoms (be specific) that you have lost due to the citizens questioning their government.

You really give hippies a lot of power, when you blame them for those who died in Vietnam. I doubt you have a good case to be made.

[kdetuv]

h0t bitch in interracial action part5 - __FREEXANGELS(.)COM__

[yinzjagoffs]

Hey Democracy Now, What if we all vote to be able to kill Prisoners?

[eastariel]

@ToxicOdiousOne Judgment via the court system is different than "judge not, lest ye be judged." At times we need to step in, help someone stop hurting others by giving them a little "time out," and give them an education.

How can we teach people not to hurt others by punishing them? Prison should be a place of time out, redirection, and education ... to teach prisoners of fear the sanctity of life through reminding them that they are sacred, also.

[PontusLP]

Funny how the thought that struck my mind that I would read your comment and then not respond, just drop it what ever you wrote ;)

While I have always thought that atleast in my home land, Sweden, prisoners has had good protection, this may of course is a bad stand point while arguing with someone from another country. It's well reflected in your point about the language, and yes, discussion is always a start.

Have a nice day.

[TritonAlias]

But you would not be convinced if we spent a year discussing it, and while I might concede some points here and there, I would not change my mind, either.

So, I resign from this pointless semantic argument. You win. You out-persisted me.

Nice chatting with you, even if it was pointless. Discussion is always the beginning, isn't it?

[TritonAlias]

Language is an important aspect of human viewpoints and can have a distinct impact on our rationale for immorality, especially on a societal level.

What we choose to call something affects how we view it, and in turn, how we choose to deal with it.

The argument is semantic; all imprisonment is a form of torture. We should see it this way because the legal protection of prisoners is poorly upheld, and that fact is ignored because of society's general view of convicted people.

[PontusLP]

So, you believe labeling imprisonment as torture somehow shows compassion and a higher moral standpoint? There are many laws for imprisonment in place to protect the human being beeing exposed to it, so it's not like there isn't any compassion. You also said imprisonment is necessary at times, do the people in these cases not deserve that compassion which you believe imprisonment-which-is-not-call­ed-torture lacks?

[TritonAlias]

Aha! I see, now! Thank you for your brilliant anology; dental work and prison sentences are so very similar; how did I not see this before? I have seen the error of my ways; no longer will I try to infuse our language with compassion for those HUMAN BEINGS that society seems to believe do not deserve any compassion at all. The necessary evils of our day should make us all happy to consider, lest we decide our methods might stand improvement!

Thank you for showing me the light!

[PontusLP]

It does change things. I may suffer psychological and physical harm at the dentist, that doesn't make my dentist visit torture does it? Torture is causing harm for the sake of causing harm, where a visit at the dentist or a prison is something which (may) cause harm while it isn't happening for the sake of causing harm. I'm not arguing that emprisonment doesn't cause harm,but that it isnt the same as torture. Have you been tortured as well as been to prison,seeing that you keep calling me naive?

[TritonAlias]

It may be a "side effect," but that doesn't change anything. You don't dismiss an emergent property because it wasn't intended; it's still a real consequence.

Again, naivete; spend a few days in prison for a crime you didn't commit and see if anyone is concerned for your well-being--including the public (in general).

For your sake, I hope you do not have to have an experience like this to realize how wrong you are.

[PontusLP]

Perhaps I could. I still believe it's a side effect. Torture is really time limited compared to any longer visit to a prison, but still shunned more by most. If you're beeing tortured you're likely already in some kind of prison-like facility, prison like in the sence that if you're beeing tortured the ones which held you are not likely to be concerned with your well beeing whereas "official" convicts are. Torture is not publicly accepted, and you will likely not get any form of trial before it.