U.S. Still Running Secret Prison in Afghanistan

[cal04]

Source: New York Times

An American military detention camp in Afghanistan is still holding inmates for sometimes weeks at a time and without access to the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to human rights researchers and former detainees held at the site on the Bagram Air Base.

The site consists of individual windowless concrete cells, each lighted by a single light bulb glowing 24 hours a day, where detainees said that their only contact with another human being was at twice-daily interrogation sessions.

The jail’s operation highlights a tension between President Obama’s goal to improve detention conditions that had drawn condemnation under the Bush administration and his desire to give military commanders leeway to operate. In this case, that means isolating certain prisoners for a period of time so interrogators can extract information or flush out confederates.

While Mr. Obama signed an order to eliminate so-called black sites run by the Central Intelligence Agency in January, that order did not apply to this jail, which is run by military Special Operations forces.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/29/world/asia/29bagram.html?hp

[bhikkhu]

1. In sane times there would be an investigation, firings, prosecution, etc

and we could sleep at night knowing what kind of country we live in.

[bos1]

20. and sleep with the ponies in perfect piety

How do you know there won't be an investigation? How do you know there is something to be prosecuted?

[bhikkhu]

26. I hope, but there has been little to nothing so far as far as prosecution.

The official posture on the various crimes of torture and illegal detention of the past few years seems to be - we're not doing it anymore so let's just forget about it. I think it sets a precedent that will be very much regretted.


As for "How do you know there is something to be prosecuted?", note my use of the word "sane". The Geneva Conventions still apply and war is still subject to international law, in spite of all news and recent practice to the contrary.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted sub-thread

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[cowcommander]

3. The more things change, the more they stay the same...

[Andronex]

4. great picture !

Says it all...

[EFerrari]

6. Oh, Lord.

:(

[saigon68]

30. Gates the war criminal is still there

[boppers]

5. A non-secret, secret, prison?

I get the feeling that some folks would complain if Obama didn't free Manson, because prisons still exist.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. You honestly cannot draw a distinction between

the fact that Manson got a trial by jury, was found guilty, was put in prison and is NOT having "twice daily interrogation sessions (torture) sessions"?
Prison is not the issue.
ILLEGAL PRISONS AND TORTURE is the issue.
this country has NO right to be directing/supporting torture on citizens of any country.
I am amazed that people do not get that these days.

[chill_wind]

9. What a thoroughly nauseating deflection from the OP.

This was a sordid human rights issue under the war criminal Bush Regime Pentagon. It is a sordid human rights issue under the Obama Pentagon. It's not a "nicer" war just because there's nice guy in the WH. Get it?

[bos1]

10. You are right. A lot of self-defeatists and perma-losers will shriek about anything

and say that Obama is a twin of Bush, or as in this case, that a non-secret prison inside Afghanistan where POWs are kept for weeks is somehow the equivalents to a secret extraordinary rendition torture program.

If there are human rights concerns about this prison, let's deal with it, put the pressure on, fix it. But let's not use this to wallow in pathetic whining.

[NeoConsSuck]

12. Keep on drinking that Kool-Ai(D)

Human rights researchers say they worry that the jail remains in the shadows and largely inaccessible both to the Red Cross and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, which has responsibility for ensuring humane treatment of detainees under the Afghan Constitution.

This is certainly not the change I voted for, and thought I was getting. This guy is a one-term loser, and thankfully so.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

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[eomer]

15. I'm guessing you don't know that your avatar (Che Guevara) executed his prisoners.

He held kangaroo courts after which he personally decided the verdict and ordered the execution.

Clearly he was guilty of war crimes.

I would appeal to you that if you are in favor of humane treatment of prisoners of war that you ought not put the poster boy of war crimes as your avatar.

[ShortnFiery]

27. Kangaroo Courts? Not unlike Che, et. al., our Executive Branch is also guilty?

[eomer]

28. Which one?

Are you talking about Bush or Obama?

Bush/Cheney are guilty of war crimes, of course.

Obama's decision to choose a court tactically to ensure conviction leans toward a kangaroo court, if you ask me. I think he's allowed himself to be bullied into doing wrong. I expected him to do what's right.

[bos1]

18. neocons suck, stalinists are OK? sorry if we disregard your calling Obama a loser. nt

[chill_wind]

13. Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME??

Equating the OP and DU posters as Manson sympathizers and playing banal semantic "secret, non-secret" word games and then citing the secret renditions-- which were the biggest secret NON_SECRET of all by the time the Jeppesen Dataplan case got to the courts, but where the Bush/Obama heldovers still argued "State Secrets!!" in front of one lonely judge in a secret courtroom-- Oh that's good...

We've seen this before. The IRCC can't get in there. That probably means all is not American Sweetness and Light, being served up with 100 percent Obama Goodness (TM). Get it, yet?

[bos1]

17. take lessons from self-sabotaging defeatists? no thanks.

[Solly Mack]

8. K&R

[mdmc]

11. USA!USA!

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ShortnFiery]

19. Oh Goody! A place to transfer our GITMO torturees and a place to send our Secret Detainees.

[bos1]

21. oh goody. black is white, up is down, and

stupid is smart

[ShortnFiery]

22. Did you join the ruling elite and also "take your Orwell off the shelf."

;)

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

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[ShortnFiery]

24. u don't get it. The ruling elite of American's rationale for DEATH and DESTRUCTION.

Is all about Orwellian Speak.

[ShortnFiery]

25. p.s. I'm not a troll, but an American willing to present uncomfortable "truths."

[Mari333]

29. oh thats just great and dont forget the mercenaries we pay for

same old shit. feels like 2005.

[FrenchieCat]

31. It obviously ain't a fucking secret.......

cause we are talking about it,
and it comes from the New York Times.

What I will say is that I don't know enough about this jail based on the information provided.
I'd rather not assume the worse just because I can. Look like the NYT has talked to detainees,
or former detainees, so it appears that this is actually quite out in the open.

Think I'll see if I can find out more about this,
as opposed to being a reactionary that attempts to equal Obama to Bush...
which is nothing but a cheap shot, and no better than the Freepers calling
Obama Hitler and shit.

But granted, Obama ain't no Kucinich either.....
But then, I knew that.

[FrenchieCat]

32. According to the article, no one can be detained more than two weeks,

since Obama has changed the policy, "and Manfred Nowak, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on torture, said that the site fell into something of a legal limbo but that the Red Cross should still have access to all detainees."

I'm sure bad stuff is going on, but reading the article gave me a sense that policies are changing in reference to this issue, and that it better get better quick.

[bos1]

33. great post. good point and rebuttal to all those Obama-bashers. nt