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Gitmo inmate: My treatment shames American flag
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (CNN) -- I've heard that the Senate report on CIA torture is 6,000 pages long. My story, though, takes place elsewhere: in Guantanamo, away from the CIA program that the report covers. The 6,000 pages of the Senate report are just the start of what Americans have to accept happened in their name.
It starts and ends in the silence of a tiny, freezing cold cell, alone.
That's when you hold yourself in a ball, and fight to ignore the confusion of what has just happened to you, and the fear of what might be coming next. Or the fear that comes when you realize that no one is coming to help; that the life, family and friends you knew are all far, far away.
The cell door opens. The next session, seemingly the 100th in a row. I think my first period of interrogation lasted three full months. Two teams of interrogators running shifts, day and night.
Each session begins with shouting, to wake me up. Then they hit me on the face and the back. I am so desperate for sleep, my head is swimming. There are photographs of faces stuck all around the walls of this room. They demand that I identify the individuals, but I can barely focus to see if I might know them. The shouting and the insults get louder, and then they nod to a man in the corner. He injects me twice in the arm with some unknown substance. It's the last thing I know.
The freezing cold cell. The cell door opens. This time the guards enter, making awful honking noises, like wild animals.
I tried to refuse to eat the little food they bring me, in protest at all this. The interrogator laughs at me, but then turns angry; he swears loudly, and pours an army meal pack over my head. They tell the man in the corner to start feeding me intravenously. He inserts the tube in two different places on my arm and makes it bleed.
The freezing cold cell. The cell door opens. This time the guards push me on the floor and take turns trampling over my back.
I tell the interrogators that I can't face not eating any more. They throw food on the floor of the room and tell me to eat like a pig. They won't let me go to the restroom. They watch as it gets more painful, and laugh as they get the translator to describe how they will rape me if I pee in my pants.
The freezing cold cell. The cell door opens. They make me stand and salute the American flag.
I'm in a sort of cinema room, where I have to watch videos of other prisoners being abused. Then they tell me that I have to dance for them, and run in circles whilst they pull on my chains. Every time I try and refuse, they touch me in my most private areas.
The freezing cold cell. The cell door opens. It has rained, and there are muddy puddles everywhere. I'm shackled, so I can't really walk; they deliberately drag me through the muddy puddles.
Now it's the pornography room. Awful pictures everywhere. There is one with a man and a donkey. I'm stripped naked and have my beard shaved, in a gratuitous insult to my religion. I'm shown pornographic pictures of women. I'm told to make the noises of different animals, and when I refuse, they just hit me. It ends with them pouring cold water all over me.
Hours later in my cell, I am discovered, nearly frozen. The doctor tells them to bring me urgently to the clinic, where I am given a blanket and treatment. Over the next hours, they observe me as I warm up. They are just waiting for the moment that they can sign off on my return to interrogation.
Four years ago, six U.S. government security agencies sat together and reviewed my case. Their conclusion? That I was innocent of any crime and should be released. The dirty and sadistic methods I endured -- which were then taken directly to Abu Ghraib -- achieved nothing, except to shame that American flag hanging in the prison corridor, which I was made to salute.
One hundred and thirty-six prisoners are still being held at Guantanamo, whilst the politicians squabble over how to black out the Senate report. America cannot keep hiding from its past, and its present, like this. Our stories, and our continued detention, cannot be made to disappear.
SOURCE: http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/11/opinion/guantanamo-inmate-naji/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
It starts and ends in the silence of a tiny, freezing cold cell, alone.
That's when you hold yourself in a ball, and fight to ignore the confusion of what has just happened to you, and the fear of what might be coming next. Or the fear that comes when you realize that no one is coming to help; that the life, family and friends you knew are all far, far away.
The cell door opens. The next session, seemingly the 100th in a row. I think my first period of interrogation lasted three full months. Two teams of interrogators running shifts, day and night.
Each session begins with shouting, to wake me up. Then they hit me on the face and the back. I am so desperate for sleep, my head is swimming. There are photographs of faces stuck all around the walls of this room. They demand that I identify the individuals, but I can barely focus to see if I might know them. The shouting and the insults get louder, and then they nod to a man in the corner. He injects me twice in the arm with some unknown substance. It's the last thing I know.
The freezing cold cell. The cell door opens. This time the guards enter, making awful honking noises, like wild animals.
I tried to refuse to eat the little food they bring me, in protest at all this. The interrogator laughs at me, but then turns angry; he swears loudly, and pours an army meal pack over my head. They tell the man in the corner to start feeding me intravenously. He inserts the tube in two different places on my arm and makes it bleed.
The freezing cold cell. The cell door opens. This time the guards push me on the floor and take turns trampling over my back.
I tell the interrogators that I can't face not eating any more. They throw food on the floor of the room and tell me to eat like a pig. They won't let me go to the restroom. They watch as it gets more painful, and laugh as they get the translator to describe how they will rape me if I pee in my pants.
The freezing cold cell. The cell door opens. They make me stand and salute the American flag.
I'm in a sort of cinema room, where I have to watch videos of other prisoners being abused. Then they tell me that I have to dance for them, and run in circles whilst they pull on my chains. Every time I try and refuse, they touch me in my most private areas.
The freezing cold cell. The cell door opens. It has rained, and there are muddy puddles everywhere. I'm shackled, so I can't really walk; they deliberately drag me through the muddy puddles.
Now it's the pornography room. Awful pictures everywhere. There is one with a man and a donkey. I'm stripped naked and have my beard shaved, in a gratuitous insult to my religion. I'm shown pornographic pictures of women. I'm told to make the noises of different animals, and when I refuse, they just hit me. It ends with them pouring cold water all over me.
Hours later in my cell, I am discovered, nearly frozen. The doctor tells them to bring me urgently to the clinic, where I am given a blanket and treatment. Over the next hours, they observe me as I warm up. They are just waiting for the moment that they can sign off on my return to interrogation.
Four years ago, six U.S. government security agencies sat together and reviewed my case. Their conclusion? That I was innocent of any crime and should be released. The dirty and sadistic methods I endured -- which were then taken directly to Abu Ghraib -- achieved nothing, except to shame that American flag hanging in the prison corridor, which I was made to salute.
One hundred and thirty-six prisoners are still being held at Guantanamo, whilst the politicians squabble over how to black out the Senate report. America cannot keep hiding from its past, and its present, like this. Our stories, and our continued detention, cannot be made to disappear.
SOURCE: http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/11/opinion/guantanamo-inmate-naji/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
This is a perfect example of a war crime. Okay something, then deny you did it. It's also something that our politician friends do about nearly everything else.
It's normal, so don't be floored over this. Something real stupid is bound to come out soon. Wait for that.
It's normal, so don't be floored over this. Something real stupid is bound to come out soon. Wait for that.
BOTH.
They're liars AND they're incompetent.
"Human right's violations"... spoken like a true touchy-feely Lefty. Cry's for retaliation & justice while it's going on, and immediately after. 10-years down the road, it's 'criminal' and 'inhumane' to torture our POW's in order to obtain information, so we can STOP further 9/11's from happening again.
Color me floored...
They're liars AND they're incompetent.
"Human right's violations"... spoken like a true touchy-feely Lefty. Cry's for retaliation & justice while it's going on, and immediately after. 10-years down the road, it's 'criminal' and 'inhumane' to torture our POW's in order to obtain information, so we can STOP further 9/11's from happening again.
Color me floored...
They knew what was going on.... its kind of their job to know. If they didn't know and are still "serving", its time for them to removed from any service. They are either stone cold liars or incompetent.
“Happily we don’t know where (Khalid Sheikh Mohammed) is…that means he’s in safekeeping, under American protection. He’ll be grilled by us. I’m sure we’ll be proper with him, but I’m sure we’ll be very, very tough with him.” Senator Jay Rockefeller on CNN’s Late Edition March 2, 2003
"Asked if the U.S. might turn KSM over to a third country where torture is allowed: “I don’t know that. I can’t comment on that. And if I did know it, I wouldn’t comment on it (laughter). But I wouldn’t rule it out. I wouldn’t take anything off the table where he is concerned, because this is the man who has killed hundreds and hundreds of Americans over the last 10 years.” Senator Jay Rockefeller on CNN’s Late Edition March 2, 2003
“I am slack-jawed to read that members claim to have not understood that the techniques on which they were briefed were to actually be employed; or that specific techniques such as “waterboarding” were never mentioned. It must be hard for most Americans of common sense to imagine how a member of Congress can forget being told about the interrogations of Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. In that case, though, perhaps it is not amnesia but political expedience.”
Porter J. Goss, former Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Washington Post April 25, 2009
“Let me be clear. It is my recollection that:
-- The chairs and the ranking minority members of the House and Senate intelligence committees, known as the Gang of Four, were briefed that the CIA was holding and interrogating high-value terrorists.
-- We understood what the CIA was doing.
-- We gave the CIA our bipartisan support.
-- We gave the CIA funding to carry out its activities.
-- On a bipartisan basis, we asked if the CIA needed more support from Congress to carry out its mission against al-Aqaeda.
I do not recall a single objection from my colleagues”
Porter J Goss, former Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Washington Post April 25, 2009
http://ciasavedlives.com/
"Asked if the U.S. might turn KSM over to a third country where torture is allowed: “I don’t know that. I can’t comment on that. And if I did know it, I wouldn’t comment on it (laughter). But I wouldn’t rule it out. I wouldn’t take anything off the table where he is concerned, because this is the man who has killed hundreds and hundreds of Americans over the last 10 years.” Senator Jay Rockefeller on CNN’s Late Edition March 2, 2003
“I am slack-jawed to read that members claim to have not understood that the techniques on which they were briefed were to actually be employed; or that specific techniques such as “waterboarding” were never mentioned. It must be hard for most Americans of common sense to imagine how a member of Congress can forget being told about the interrogations of Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. In that case, though, perhaps it is not amnesia but political expedience.”
Porter J. Goss, former Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Washington Post April 25, 2009
“Let me be clear. It is my recollection that:
-- The chairs and the ranking minority members of the House and Senate intelligence committees, known as the Gang of Four, were briefed that the CIA was holding and interrogating high-value terrorists.
-- We understood what the CIA was doing.
-- We gave the CIA our bipartisan support.
-- We gave the CIA funding to carry out its activities.
-- On a bipartisan basis, we asked if the CIA needed more support from Congress to carry out its mission against al-Aqaeda.
I do not recall a single objection from my colleagues”
Porter J Goss, former Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Washington Post April 25, 2009
http://ciasavedlives.com/
One concern I would have in general would be whether if we commit any act against any enemy combatant would that then if the same act were done to one of our soldiers make us unable to claim it as a human rights abuse?
Things have clearly worsened over time however because the Taliban do not respect any boundaries in war time which would include killing human rights workers who went to Pakistan to vaccinate people against polio which had it not been for that would be eradicated by now. Isis have taken things to another level. However not all enemy combatants that we face or will face are of that level.
I did have a stepfather who fought in the Korean war and was wounded in the air force and earned a purple heart metal. Also he had me watch a documentary about the Bataan death march which was horrifying. However some abuses committed in the Vietnam War were on our side as well (it goes without saying what was done to our soldiers that were captured was beyond inhumane) to a lesser extent. The documentary "Winter Solider" (can be watched on Netflix) details the hearings as regards this. Any act we committed at that time was used as a justification to commit the same acts against us.
I am responding to multiple posts here expressing concerns that might at
certain times be relevant clearly since the mid east war shows no signs of stopping and other countries that unlike rogue terrorists do respect at least some boundaries may become involved. As regards Isis (who we most likely will declare warfare on) one potential partial solution is to never at any times pay ransom to them and have all countries draw a pact regarding this
because its a basic means of extortion and countries that don't pay ransom to them or stopped have stopped being among the groups that are kidnapped.
Things have clearly worsened over time however because the Taliban do not respect any boundaries in war time which would include killing human rights workers who went to Pakistan to vaccinate people against polio which had it not been for that would be eradicated by now. Isis have taken things to another level. However not all enemy combatants that we face or will face are of that level.
I did have a stepfather who fought in the Korean war and was wounded in the air force and earned a purple heart metal. Also he had me watch a documentary about the Bataan death march which was horrifying. However some abuses committed in the Vietnam War were on our side as well (it goes without saying what was done to our soldiers that were captured was beyond inhumane) to a lesser extent. The documentary "Winter Solider" (can be watched on Netflix) details the hearings as regards this. Any act we committed at that time was used as a justification to commit the same acts against us.
I am responding to multiple posts here expressing concerns that might at
certain times be relevant clearly since the mid east war shows no signs of stopping and other countries that unlike rogue terrorists do respect at least some boundaries may become involved. As regards Isis (who we most likely will declare warfare on) one potential partial solution is to never at any times pay ransom to them and have all countries draw a pact regarding this
because its a basic means of extortion and countries that don't pay ransom to them or stopped have stopped being among the groups that are kidnapped.
Yet the guy walks away alive.... There were Americans who knew their impending doom, were chastised on film only before getting their heads cut off and having the whole thing filmed.... FOR NOTHING.
"In case you don't know it, war is disgusting and people do things that they wouldn't normally think they could possibly do...."
I assume you have heard of war crimes trials.
" ... following World War II war crime trials were convened. The Japanese were tried and convicted and hung for war crimes committed against American POWs. Among those charges for which they were convicted was waterboarding."
— John McCain on Thursday, November 29th, 2007 in a campaign event in St. Petersburg
"... McCain is referencing the Tokyo Trials, officially known as the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. After World War II, an international coalition convened to prosecute Japanese soldiers charged with torture. At the top of the list of techniques was water-based interrogation, known variously then as "water cure," "water torture" and "waterboarding," according to the charging documents. It simulates drowning.
R. John Pritchard, a historian and lawyer who is a top scholar on the trials, said the Japanese felt the ends justified the means. "The rapid and effective collection of intelligence then, as now, was seen as vital to a successful struggle, and in addition, those who were engaged in torture often felt that whatever pain and anguish was suffered by the victims of torture was nothing less than the just deserts of the victims or people close to them," he said.
In a recent journal essay, Judge Evan Wallach, a member of the U.S. Court of International Trade and an adjunct professor in the law of war, writes that the testimony from American soldiers about this form of torture was gruesome and convincing. A number of the Japanese soldiers convicted by American judges were hanged, while others received lengthy prison sentences or time in labor camps.
We find McCain's retelling of history to be accurate, so we give him a True.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2007/dec/18/john-mccain/history-supports-mccains-stance-on-waterboarding/
I suppose you'd consider getting your head chopped off much less as torture than anything our CIA might have done? At least the prisoners walked away... can you walk away without your head?"
I am disappointed to see you suggest that bad deeds by others excuses or somehow lessens the evil inherent in the bad deeds we commit.
I assume you have heard of war crimes trials.
" ... following World War II war crime trials were convened. The Japanese were tried and convicted and hung for war crimes committed against American POWs. Among those charges for which they were convicted was waterboarding."
— John McCain on Thursday, November 29th, 2007 in a campaign event in St. Petersburg
"... McCain is referencing the Tokyo Trials, officially known as the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. After World War II, an international coalition convened to prosecute Japanese soldiers charged with torture. At the top of the list of techniques was water-based interrogation, known variously then as "water cure," "water torture" and "waterboarding," according to the charging documents. It simulates drowning.
R. John Pritchard, a historian and lawyer who is a top scholar on the trials, said the Japanese felt the ends justified the means. "The rapid and effective collection of intelligence then, as now, was seen as vital to a successful struggle, and in addition, those who were engaged in torture often felt that whatever pain and anguish was suffered by the victims of torture was nothing less than the just deserts of the victims or people close to them," he said.
In a recent journal essay, Judge Evan Wallach, a member of the U.S. Court of International Trade and an adjunct professor in the law of war, writes that the testimony from American soldiers about this form of torture was gruesome and convincing. A number of the Japanese soldiers convicted by American judges were hanged, while others received lengthy prison sentences or time in labor camps.
We find McCain's retelling of history to be accurate, so we give him a True.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2007/dec/18/john-mccain/history-supports-mccains-stance-on-waterboarding/
I suppose you'd consider getting your head chopped off much less as torture than anything our CIA might have done? At least the prisoners walked away... can you walk away without your head?"
I am disappointed to see you suggest that bad deeds by others excuses or somehow lessens the evil inherent in the bad deeds we commit.
Once again... I'm speechless.
What have Democrats become, that they're sympathizing with our enemies.
As others have pointed out... at least they can walk away. Our boys (POW's), lose their heads.
I'm disgusted by the left sometimes.
If you don't like what this country stands for, or what & why we're over there fighting, feel free to move to Canada.
What have Democrats become, that they're sympathizing with our enemies.
As others have pointed out... at least they can walk away. Our boys (POW's), lose their heads.
I'm disgusted by the left sometimes.
If you don't like what this country stands for, or what & why we're over there fighting, feel free to move to Canada.
Imagine how the people who watched their loved one's jump from a burning building felt or have we forgot why we were interrogating those people in the first place, as Barb pointed out they are still alive, unlike the 2996 Americans that died on 9/11
Have you ever listened to reports of what happened to our own soldiers who were held captive in Vietnam? Our own people had to endure the same or worse and nobody cared, NOW there's outrage because our enemies might have been harshly interrogated. It would sicken me, too, but so have documentaries of the Vietnam War and even WWII... I've never been able to watch them. I lost classmates in Vietnam, my brother did tours in, both, Korea and Vietnam, he was in Saigon when it fell...
My husband and I recently went to Charleston, SC and visited Patriot's Point. They have an exhibit there called "the Vietnam Experience"... we spent about 45 minutes there and watched a video of the Tet Offensive. From the minute you walk into the Vietnam exhibit until you walk out, you hear the sound of choppers.. sometimes in the background, sometimes, urgently in the foreground... It became an annoying "thud" in my head. I've always loved the "beat" of helicopter props and always go out to see what's flying over, but I don't think I'll ever find that sound comforting again.
In case you don't know it, war is disgusting and people do things that they wouldn't normally think they could possibly do.
I suppose you'd consider getting your head chopped off much less as torture than anything our CIA might have done? At least the prisoners walked away... can you walk away without your head?
My husband and I recently went to Charleston, SC and visited Patriot's Point. They have an exhibit there called "the Vietnam Experience"... we spent about 45 minutes there and watched a video of the Tet Offensive. From the minute you walk into the Vietnam exhibit until you walk out, you hear the sound of choppers.. sometimes in the background, sometimes, urgently in the foreground... It became an annoying "thud" in my head. I've always loved the "beat" of helicopter props and always go out to see what's flying over, but I don't think I'll ever find that sound comforting again.
In case you don't know it, war is disgusting and people do things that they wouldn't normally think they could possibly do.
I suppose you'd consider getting your head chopped off much less as torture than anything our CIA might have done? At least the prisoners walked away... can you walk away without your head?
I heard descriptions of the torture done to these people, some who were in there by mistake, and had to turn off the news as it so sickened me.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/12/09/the-most-gruesome-moments-in-the-cia-torture-report.html
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/12/09/the-most-gruesome-moments-in-the-cia-torture-report.html
Don't feed the trolls...
Mine is reading something mike wrote...HA
Everyone has their own definition of torture.
I actually don't see much torture going on here.
This guy wouldn't give a second thought to an American being treated like this in a prison on HIS home soil, as it's par for the course.
No sympathy for this guy, or any others like him.
I'll tell you what I AM ashamed off... and that's CNN. Giving this guys story center-stage?
They abuse and shame their women.
They cut off innocent detainee's heads, and broadcast the video's.
They kill or plan to kill anyone that doesn't tow THEIR religious and/or political ideology.
They HATE western culture and will kill you on sight, given the opportunity.
This guy, who cut's people's heads off, is giving US a lecture on how to treat prisoners?!?
CNN should be ashamed of themselves for even giving this guy a voice.
(enter the Left, boo-hoo'ing about how he was/is mistreated, and how at fault Bush is, and how barbaric the CIA is, blah-blah-blah...)
No sympathy for this guy, or any others like him.
I'll tell you what I AM ashamed off... and that's CNN. Giving this guys story center-stage?
They abuse and shame their women.
They cut off innocent detainee's heads, and broadcast the video's.
They kill or plan to kill anyone that doesn't tow THEIR religious and/or political ideology.
They HATE western culture and will kill you on sight, given the opportunity.
This guy, who cut's people's heads off, is giving US a lecture on how to treat prisoners?!?
CNN should be ashamed of themselves for even giving this guy a voice.
(enter the Left, boo-hoo'ing about how he was/is mistreated, and how at fault Bush is, and how barbaric the CIA is, blah-blah-blah...)
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