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"I never thought I'd see the United States - champion of human rights and rule of law - legislating torture and Soviet-style kangaroo tribunals. I never thought I'd see Congress and a majority of Americans supporting such police state measures." U.S. gets 'Sovietized' By Eric Margolis 24 Sep 2006 Prisoners taken in the dead of night to Lubyanka were systematically beaten for days with rubber hoses and clubs. Prisoners taken in the dead of night to Lubyanka were systematically beaten for days with rubber hoses and clubs. There were special cold rooms where prisoners could be frozen to near death. Sleep deprivation was a favourite and most effective Cheka technique. I recall these past horrors because of what this column has long called the gradual "Sovietization" of the United States... We have seen America's president and vice president , sworn to uphold the Constitution, advocating some of the same interrogation techniques the KGB used at the Lubyanka. They apparently believe beating, freezing, sleep deprivation and near-drowning are necessary to prevent terrorist attacks. So did Stalin. The White House insisted that anyone - including Americans - could be kidnapped and tried in camera using "evidence" obtained by torturing other suspects.
GOP Upbeat on Terror-Trial Bill 23 Sep 2006 A few liberal Democratic lawmakers attacked the bill yesterday, but none signaled all-out plans to try to kill it... Caroline Fredrickson, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington legislative office, called the legislation a "get out of jail free" card for the administration's "top torture officials." She said it would render the Geneva Conventions' protections "irrelevant and unenforceable."
Specter Objects to Part of Detainee Bill 24 Sep 2006 The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Sunday he has a problem with the Republican agreement on rules for the interrogation and trial of suspects in the war on terror. Dictator Bush is pushing Congress to put the agreement into law before adjourning for the midterm elections, but Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said Sunday he "vigorously" disagrees with the habeas corpus provision of the bill.
Defense Lawyers Assail Legislation on Detainees --The bill faces scrutiny for stripping habeas corpus. Rights groups worry over vagueness. 23 Sep 2006 Military defense lawyers assailed compromise legislation for interrogating and prosecuting terrorism suspects, contending Friday that proposed rules would prevent them from learning whether evidence used against their clients was obtained through coercion or torture.
Afghan officers arrested for smuggling weapons to Taliban: report 23 Sep 2006 Several Afghan officers were detained for trafficking weapons and ammunition to Taliban militants, a local newspaper reported. Several Afghan officers, including Brigadier Abdul Faqir, chief of weapon depots in Khirabad, south of Kabul, have been arrested for being involved in the smuggling case, the newspaper said.
Secret Torture in Afghanistan --The concealed deaths of two detainees at Gardez paints a troubling picture of abuse by U.S. Special Forces units there. 23 Sep 2006 Apparently unknown to Army officials, two detainees had died in the team's 2021 custody in separate incidents during the unit's final month in eastern Afghanistan. Several other detainees allege that they were badly beaten or tortured while held at the base in Gardez... An 18-year-old Afghan army recruit died after being interrogated at the firebase. Descriptions of his injuries were consistent with severe beatings and other abuse. A member of the Special Forces team told The Times his unit held a meeting after the teen's death to coordinate their stories should an investigation arise.
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