216 T ORTURE Volume 17, Number 3, 2007 Abstract Steven H.Miles,MD* andtheweb Human rightsabuses,transparency, neapolis, MN55455, [email protected] *) CenterforBioethics, UniversityofMinnesota, Min- net, torture Key words: illegal renditionremainintact. prisons, detentionwithoutchargesortrials, and pressure. Even so, theessentialelementsofsecret its policieshave changedinresponsetopublic States government onthedefensive andsomeof advocates’man rights hasputtheUnited reports dissemination ofgovernment documentsandhu- abuses inthe human rights “war on-terror.” Wide too earlytoassessthefinalimpactof Web on acts. freedomofinformation done byvarious Itis declassification ofgovernment documents, asis national mustbestrengthenedtopromotethe potentialtobefullyrealized,human rights inter- ing, locating anddownloading information. For its stantaneous, andaccessibleforuploading, archiv- advocates.for humanrights Itisinternational, in- cates. The Web isapowerful communication tool advo-tween andhumanrights journalists, scholars be- thatinformation rapidlydistribute services maintaining blogs, e-zines, andnews list-serves and otherdata, trackingCIA renditionflightsand and updated archives ofgovernment documents reports; creating large,man rights open-access abuses.man rights These includepostingofhu- to usethe World Wide Web (Web) tocombat hu- the during “war-on-terror” have foundnew ways advocatesThis paperreviewshow humanrights

humanrights, war, war crimes, inter- researched, analysed anddisseminated in violations canbecompiled,human rights networks about meansthat information work. information The speedofthevirtual This changesthetimescaleof humanrights advocateshuman rights andmedia outlets. to information it instantaneouslydistributes Third, the Web istransparent initsspeed; computers.cafes, andpersonal libraries isavailableinformation throughinternet politicalconstituencies.diverse Access to andequallyreaches borders international Web istransparentintheway that itcrosses forspecializeduse.and sorted Second, the in largearchives that canbeindexed, linked limitlessamountsofsuchdocuments carry ismagnifiedbythe parency Web’s abilityto arepowerful images.prisoners This trans- neva Conventions for Taliban andal-Qaeda signature ona directive suspendingthe Ge- men at Abu GhraiborofPresidentBush’s ofsmilingguardsabusing The photographs notes andsignatures ofgovernment officials. government documentsshowing marginal pictures, videoclips, of soundorfacsimiles itself:the information itcantransmittext, work.rights Itistransparentwithregardto parent inways that arewell suitedtohuman advocacy.to humanrights The web istrans- ofcommunication extends fect onallforms The Worldef- WideWeb’sprofound (Web) War crimes,impunityandtheWeb DOCUMENTATION T ORTURE Volume 17, Number 3, 2007 217

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14 icies, icies, Unfortunately, the utility Unfortunately, 12

This site is used by 500 visitorsThis site is used per 16 13 The Web has also been used to identify Web The Nevertheless, there are a number of spe- Nevertheless, Blogs, e-zines, list-serves RSS feeds and e-zines, Blogs, Each of these archives is maintained by a Each of these archives volunteers. mostly unpaid, few, the flight plans and aircraft used for the illegal program Agency’s Central Intelligence Stephen Grey used databases of rendition. compiled by hobbyist plane spotters and of flight plans to identify computer archives the fleet of and track individual renditions, countries supplied transit that CIA planes, airports for these and the final destinations flights. American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) American (ACLU) Civil Liberties Union’s pages of posts more than 100,000 website a it obtained by documents that government Freedom of suit using the ’ law Information Act. is limited by poor of this immense archive ACLU which the indexing and organization of many In addition, is gradually improving. a facsimilethe documents are in form which does not permitis a text searching – reading formidable challenge. Human Rights Minnesota’s cialized websites. Mili- Library entitled United States section, con- Prisons, Terror on War tary Medicine in pol tains 60,000 pages of government records pertaining and death investigations on in the US war to medical operations linked are cross Its indexes terror prisons. and index items can be to the government search engines found by general web even though the documents can not be internally searched because they are in a facsimile form. Cage Prisoners information posts and advo- cacy appeals for prisoners Guantanamo. at rapidly distribute information amongst jour- academic sources and human rights nalists, month. Iraq Body Count culls media and month. Defense Department an sources to maintain list of civilian casualties in Iraq. updated In The , Hu- , 3 11 9,10 amples the European 8 , Center for Consti- , 1 , Physicians for Human Physicians , 4 its Special Rapporteur on It is also done by interna- , Human Rights First , 7 6 2 and The World Organization for Organization World The and 5 The most common and conventional The most common and conventional A more innovative human rights human use A more innovative tional organizations such as the Office of tional organizations High Commissioner for the United Nations’ Human Rights, tutional Rights torture or degrad- inhuman and other cruel, or punishment, ing treatment Web activity is the posting of human rights Web reports and analyses and commentaries. non-gov- Such postings are done by many ernmental human rights groups including Amnesty International of how the Web changes human rights changes ad- Web the of how This article focuses on activities vocacy. operations States with regard to the United Guantanamo Bay Afghanistan, in Iraq and and in countries been persons to which have taken by the illegal process of . The Web and the “War on Terror” and the “War The Web offers ex many “war-on-terror” The “news-cycle” or “political” time rather than time rather “political” or “news-cycle” cycles histori- of professional in the slower is the first antidote to im- Transparency ans. is a powerful Web The crimes. punity for war in the fight against impunity for advance crimes humanity. against DOCUMENTATION DOCUMENTATION Rights of the Web is the creation of open-access is the creation Web of the The Center for archives. data and updated Public Integrity posted all of the appendi- of the investigation Taguba’s ces to General Ghraib prisonAbu in Iraq. at abuses this use, the Web offers fast an inexpensive Web the this use, to distribute to an audience of human way ex- and media outlets that rights advocates tends far membership beyond lists and me- dia distributions. man Rights Watch man Rights Human Rights. Parliament or the Council of Europe (both Parliament addressed renditions). of which have 218 T ORTURE Volume 17, Number 3, 2007 and elsewhere. coercive at interrogations GuantanamoBay psychologists’ involvementsupports with Psychological AssociationAmerican which ofthe to changethepoliciesandleadership a moderated blogthat focusesonorganizing • • impunity canentail: guish between several sensesofwhat ending role,stand itsemerging itisusefultodistin- abuses.punity forhumanrights To under- The Web canplay akeyroleinfightingim- Discussion formation. in- whichhasextensive humanrights service advocates. DailyKosisonegeneralnews Filartiga vPeñaFilartiga Iralaa. Redress for victims: weak punishmentanddeterrent. Unfortunately, isa moralopprobrium way that leadstomoral delegitimization. ina ability topromotingtransparency showsence inthewar the onterror Web’s organizations.human rights The experi- from disseminating authoritative reports with to attack impunityanditbegins isthemostcommon wayDelegitimizing Kissinger tofreelytravel.State Henry of United States Secretary for former in South haveAmerica madeitdifficult committedbyOperation Condor crimes summons andaccusations relating to assets.fiscation offamily Similarly, legal andcon- prosecution ofhiscollaborators proceedings, constitutionalchanges, that leadtoprolongedlegal his regime reevaluprecipitated a historical Pinochet was never tried, thewarrant by hisChileanregime. Although General committed gusto Pinochetformurders forGeneral warrant by thearrest Au- Moral delegitimization: United States civil case, afederalcourt

17 Psyche, ScienceandSocietyis 18

This isexemplified by This isexemplified 19,20 In this1979 ation of • • Civil sanctions: charges orevidence. whoaredetainedwithout for persons government documentstopreparecases less, areusing attorneys Web archives of ance andasympathetic court. Neverthe- tization toobtain expensive legal assist- who canovercome andstigma- poverty victims isavailable onlytoafewpersons the UnitedStates isaparty. Redressfor lawslated towhich international various whichvio- murder ofJoelito Filartigo and for civildamagesthetorture found aParaguayan policeofficialliable national Criminal Court. national Criminal issuedbythenewInter- under awarrant tobearrested person became thefirst leaderof a Congolesemilitia,former humanity. In2006, Thomas Lubanga, against prosecutions forcrimes formal kindsof allexemplify varying Liberia bodon Milosevic, andCharles Taylor of Saddam HusseinofIraq, Serbia’s Slo- punishment:Criminal ments toapplythesanctions. tomobilizegovern- use suchinformation advocatessanctions ifhumanrights can archives canplay aroleinpromotingcivil have immigrated. Itis likelythat the Web towhichthey from countries deportation increasinglyrisk abusers Human rights againsthumanity.committed crimes whohave orvisastopersons permits ity is a crime against every member of againstevery ity isacrime must befair, againsthuman- but acrime has beenvetted. proceedings Courtroom post evidenceonthe Web assoonit should Court Criminal The International Mengele were shelteredfromprotection. never tried, Radovan Karadži´ highly selective: Cambodia’s Pol Pot was for leaders. Itispoliticallychargedand punity. Itiscostlyandgenerallyreserved ofendingim- ishment istherarestform Itispossibletodeny work DOCUMENTATION The trials of The trials 21 Criminal pun- Criminal c andJosef T ORTURE Volume 17, Number 3, 2007 219

23 A state may not categorically may A state Everyone has the right obtain to and decisions con- In all is obliged to adopt ap- The state No person be punished may The goal of open access to infor- of open access to The goal 22 Principle 11: further. information includ- from public authorities, ing information security. to national relating No restriction on this right be imposed may on the ground security of national unless the that can demonstrate the government restriction is prescribed and is nec- by law essary society to protect a in a democratic legitimate security national interest. Principle 12: access to all information to deny related in law must designate but security, national only those specific and narrow categories of information it is necessary that to withhold in order to protect a legitimate se- national curity interest. Principle 13: cerning the right the to obtain information, the informationpublic interest in knowing shall be a primary consideration. Principle 14: propriate measures to give effect to the right These measures shall to obtain information. a request if they deny require the authorities, to specify their reasons for for information, doing so in writingas soon as reason- and for a right and shall provide of ably possible; review of the merits of the and the validity includ- denial by an independent authority, ing some form of judicial review of the legal- The reviewing authority ity of the denial. the right to examine the informa-must have tion withheld. Principle 15: securityon national grounds for disclosure 1) the disclosure does not of information if: actually harm and is not likely to harm a mation is restated in the United Nation’s Nation’s in the United is restated mation Principles on National 1996 Johannesburg Access of Expression and Freedom Security, of Expression and Freedom to Information, Access to Information: It is too early to assess the final impact of It is too early to assess the final impact International is insufficient to al- law the human community; we all deserve we to community; the human see the evidence. the Web on the human rights in the abuses Web the scholarship of the so, Even on terror.” “war prisons an advanced and the policies is at officials United States stage and defensive to tempered some policies in response have the however, Unfortunately, public pressure. deten- essential elements of secret prisons, and illegal rendi- tion with charges or trials, tion remains intact. its capacity to to fully develop Web the low The Article 19 of human rights. advance of Human Rights cor- Universal Declaration access between rectly notes the relationship to information and freedom of speech: “Everyone has the right to freedom of this right includes opinion and expression; and impart receive in- to seek, freedom ... formation media and ideas through any Article 19 of and regardless of frontiers.” Internationalthe United Nations Covenant Rights does not go on Civil and Political The Web is an incomplete remedy to the is an incomplete remedy Web The lack of transparency shields human that It only rights abusers from accountability. to the degree informationworks that can people are willing to be obtained and that The accept the risk of posting information. some experience that on terror” shows “war in Iraq about abuses information is available much less is avail- Guantanamo but and at Afghanistan and almost nothing able from the secret prisons from where is available the CIA has taken persons via the process of The human illegal extraordinary rendition. rights organ- community is insufficiently ized or funded to fully exploit this resource. There is no central listing of the human and veryrights archives cross limited web to the other. linking from one archive DOCUMENTATION DOCUMENTATION 220 T ORTURE Volume 17, Number 3, 2007 work. forhumanrights sons whousetheinternet andprotectionforper- information ernment ofaccesstogov-sively promotestheright than opinions. aggres- Amnesty International information, freespeechcanbelittlemore free speechandapress. Without such to oftheright part anintegral information concept offreedomaccesstogovernment have becauseofsuchacts. beenimprisoned suppress dissent. togovernments that brutally information whoposthumanrights ofpersons numbers orcomputeridentifying names ofpersons mation. Inaddition, theyhave disclosedthe to blockaccesspoliticallychargedinfor- enable governments China, Cubaor Turkey to bydeveloping filters utility oftheinternet have actively diminishedthehumanrights’ cluding Google, Yahoo, CiscoandMicrosoft, make Web andsearchengines, in- servers burg principles. intheJohannes- asarticulated information but neitherpromotes accesstogovernment promote freedomofspeechontheinternet, (EFF) andtheOpenNetInitiative (ONI) mation. The ElectronicFrontierFoundation needforaccesstoinfor- of thehumanrights The private sectorhasnotbeensupportive fromdisclosure.outweighs theharm public interestinknowing theinformation interest, national security legitimate or2)the “political time” rather thaninthedelayed advocateshuman rights tocommunicate in and downloading information. Itenables accessible foruploading, archiving, locating cacy. Itisinternational, instantaneous, and advo-communication toolforhumanrights transparent government institutions. honest andefficientglobaleconomy requires seek alliesinthebusiness community; an More work shouldbedonetomakethe The Web hastheelementsofapowerful 27,28

Human rights advocates Humanrights might 24,25 26,27 Large corporations that Largecorporations Human rights activists Humanrights 6 GreyS. oftheCIA Ghostplane: story thetrue 16. CagePrisoners. www.cageprisoners.com/ 15. IraqBodyCount. www.iraqbodycount.org/ 14. MilesS, MarksL. medi- UnitedStates military 13. Union. CivilLiberties American Torture12. docu- CenterforPublicIntegrity. 11.The Abu GhraibSup- CouncilofEurope, CommitteeonLegal Af- 10. EuropeanParliament. www.europarl. 9. ontorture UnitedNations SpecialRapporteur 8. UnitedNations Officeofthe HighCommissioner 7. The World Organization forHumanRightsUSA 6. Physicians forHumanRights(homepage). 5. HumanRights Watch (home page). www.hrw.org/ 4. (homepage). HumanRightsFirst www.human- 3. CenterforConstitutionalRights(homepage). 2. AmnestyInternational. Documentsontorture 1. References key steptoendingimpunity. of timeandspace. isa Suchtransparency andtakesdownratizes barriers information or telephoneconnections. The Web democ- oruseeasilyinterdictedmail central libraries commuteto unchallenged asresearchers research, adelay that allows abuses togo time oftraditionalacademicorhistorical html www1.umn.edu/humanrts/OathBetrayed/index. oftheUniversityMinnesota,Library 2007. prisons.cine inwar onterror HumanRights free/torture/torturefoia.html ments releasedunderFOIA. www.aclu.org/safe- org/report.aspx?aid=417&sid=100 Documents.plementary www.publicintegrity. WorkingDocs/Doc07/edoc11302.pdf 11, 2007. http://assembly.coe.int/Documents/ of Europememberstates: secondreport. June ofdetaineesinvolvingillegal transfers Council andHuman Rights.fairs Secretdetentionsand 0020+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN //EP//TEXT+REPORT+A6-2007- europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=- torture/rapporteur/ or punishment. www.ohchr.org/english/issues/ treatmentand othercruel, inhumanordegrading of HumanRights. www.ohchr.org/english/ php (home page). www.humanrightsusa.org/index. http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/ rightsfirst.org/ www.ccr-ny.org/v2/home.asp pages/stoptorture-background-alldocuments-eng in the “war onterror”. http://web.amnesty.org/ DOCUMENTATION T ORTURE Volume 17, Number 3, 2007 221 Torture Program. New York: St. Martin’s Press, Press, Martin’s St. York: New Program. Torture 2006. sopposewar.org/blog/ Human Rights Quarterly the Clinic of Hope. 1983;5:275-301. 1980). ICC-01/04-01/06. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo www.icc-cpi.int/cases/RDC/c0106/c0106_all.html www.unhchr.ch/html/ 1966. Rights. and Political menu3/b/a_ccpr.htm Access to Infor- of Expression and Freedom rity, Access to Freedom of Expression and mation, www1. E/CN.4/1996/39. Doc. U.N. Information. umn.edu/humanrts/instree/johannesburg.html www.businessweek. 2006. 15, Feb Week, ness com/technology/content/feb2006/tc20060215_ 060300.htm Athens, ing of the Internet Forum. Governance POL 30/054/2006 Oct 27. AI Index: 2006. http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engPOL300 542006?open&of=eng-200 http://web.amnesty.org/pages/internet-in- rights. dex-eng DOCUMENTATION DOCUMENTATION 17. 17. www.dailykos.com/ Daily Kos. http://psychoanalyst- 18. and society. science, Psyche, 19. FilartigaThe case of Joelito and Richard PC. 876 (2d Cir. 20. F.2d 630 Peña-Irala, Filártiga v. 21. v. The prosecutor International Criminal Court. 22. Civil on International Covenant United Nations. 23. Principles Secu- on National The Johannesburg 24. www.eff.org/ Frontier Foundation. Electronic 25. http://opennet.net/ Initiative. OpenNet Busi- not so simple. China: and 26. The web Elgin B. 27. the open- at Statement International. Amnesty 28. The Internet and human International. Amnesty