The Ethics of Interrogation and the Rule of Law Release Date: April 23, 2018
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Guantanamo's Hidden History
Guantanamo’s Hidden History Shocking statistics of starvation June 2009 1 Author: Andy Worthington Copyright © 2009 Cageprisoners All rights reserved. Cageprisoners 27 Old Gloucester Street London WC1N 3XX Telephone: 00 (44) 7973264197 Email: [email protected] 2 INTRODUCTION Today is the third anniversary of the deaths in Guantánamo of three prisoners, Ali al-Salami, Mani al-Utaybi and Yasser al-Zahrani. The anniversary comes just two weeks after the second anniversary of the death of Abdul Rahman al-Amri, the fourth prisoner to die in mysterious circumstances, and just eight days after the death of a fifth prisoner, Muhammad Salih. The authorities maintain that the men died by committing suicide, although doubts about this explanation have repeatedly been voiced by former prisoners. However, it is also significant that all five men were long-term hunger strikers. Cageprisoners is marking this sad anniversary with a brief report about the Guantánamo hunger strikers, and the dreadful toll that prolonged starvation -- and brutal force-feeding, which is the response of the US military -- exacts on prisoners held, for the most part, without charge or trial in a seemingly endless legal limbo. Force-feeding involves prisoners being strapped into a restraint chair and force-fed twice daily against their will, through an agonizing process that involves having a tube inserted into the stomach through the nose. As Clive Stafford Smith, the lawyer for several dozen Guantánamo prisoners, explained in the Los Angeles Times in 2007, with reference to Sami al-Haj, who was released in May 2008, “Medical ethics tell us that you cannot force-feed a mentally competent hunger striker, as he has the right to complain about his mistreatment, even unto death. -
United States District Court Eastern District Of
Case 2:15-cv-00286-JLQ ECF No. 239 filed 08/07/17 PageID.9393 Page 1 of 43 1 2 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 3 EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON 4 5 SULEIMAN ABDULLAH SALIM, et al., ) ) 6 ) No. CV-15-0286-JLQ Plaintiffs, ) 7 ) MEMORANDUM OPINION ) RE: MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY 8 vs. ) JUDGMENT ) 9 ) JAMES E. MITCHELL and JOHN ) 10 JESSEN, ) ) 11 Defendants. ) ___________________________________ ) 12 BEFORE THE COURT are Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 13 169), Plaintiffs’ Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (ECF No. 178), and Defendants’ 14 Motion to Exclude (ECF No. 198). Response and Reply briefs have been filed and 15 considered. The parties have submitted a voluminous record of over 4,000 pages of 16 evidentiary exhibits. The court heard oral argument on the Motions on July 28, 2017. 17 James Smith, Henry Schuelke, III, Brian Paszamant, and Christopher Tompkins appeared 18 for Defendants James Mitchell and John Jessen. Hina Shamsi, Steven Watt, Dror Ladin, 19 Lawrence Lustberg, and Jeffry Finer appeared for Plaintiffs Suleiman Abdullah Salim, 20 Mohamed Ahmed Ben Soud, and Obaid Ullah. The court issued its preliminary oral 21 ruling. This Opinion memorializes and supplements the court’s oral ruling. 22 I. Introduction and Factual Allegations from Complaint 23 The Complaint in this matter alleges Plaintiffs Suleiman Abdullah Salim (“Salim”), 24 Mohamed Ahmed Ben Soud (“Soud”), and Gul Rahman (“Rahman”)1(collectively herein 25 Plaintiffs) were the victims of psychological and physical torture. Plaintiffs are all 26 27 1Obaid Ullah is the personal representative of the Estate of Gul Rahman. 28 ORDER - 1 Case 2:15-cv-00286-JLQ ECF No. -
Beyond Preservation: Reconstructing Sites of Slavery, Reconstruction, and Segregation Charlotte Adams University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Theses and Dissertations 2018 Beyond Preservation: Reconstructing Sites Of Slavery, Reconstruction, And Segregation Charlotte Adams University of South Carolina Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd Part of the Public History Commons Recommended Citation Adams, C.(2018). Beyond Preservation: Reconstructing Sites Of Slavery, Reconstruction, And Segregation. (Master's thesis). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/4880 This Open Access Thesis is brought to you by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BEYOND PRESERVATION: RECONSTRUCTING SITES OF SLAVERY, RECONSTRUCTION, AND SEGREGATION by Charlotte Adams Bachelor of Arts University of South Carolina, 2016 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts in Public History College of Arts and Sciences University of South Carolina 2018 Accepted by: Robert Weyeneth, Director of Thesis Lana A. Burgess, Reader Cheryl L. Addy, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School © Copyright by Charlotte Adams, 2018 All Rights Reserved. ii Abstract The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties define reconstruction as “the act or process of depicting, by means of new construction, the form, features, and detailing of a non-surviving site, landscape, building, structure, or object for the purpose of replicating its appearance at a specific period of time and in its historic location.”1 Reconstruction is a controversial treatment method among historic preservationists, so this thesis seeks to answer the question of why stewards of historic sites still choose to reconstruct nonextant buildings. -
An Open Letter on the Question of Torture
1 Torture, Aggressive War & Presidential Power: Thoughts on the Current Constitutional Crisisi Thomas Ehrlich Reifer October 2009 Abstract: This chapter analyses the intersection of torture, aggressive war and Presidential power in the 21st century, with particular attention to the current Constitutional crisis and related international humanitarian/human rights law, including treaties signed and ratified by the U.S., from the Geneva Conventions to the U.N. Convention Against Torture. America's embrace of a ªliberal culture of tortureº af1ter 9/11 is examined, as well as the road leading from Bagram Air Base to Guantanamo to Abu Ghraib. Prospects for change are also analyzed, in light of revelations about the role of both the Democrats and Republicans in policies of torture, extraordinary rendition and aggressive war, past and present. For Sister Dianna "Why is there this inability to reckon with the moral and spiritual facts?"ii ªThe abuse of detainees in U.S. custody cannot simply be attributed to the actions of `a few bad apples' acting on their own. The fact is that senior officials in the United States government solicited information on how to use aggressive techniques, redefined the law to create the appearance of their legality, and authorized their use against detainees.ºiii 2009 initially brought sharp relief to torture abolitionists in the U.S. and around the world, as President Obama, in his first week in office, signed three executive orders 1) closing Guantanamo in a year 2) creating a task force to examine policies towards prisoners caught up in the ªwar on terrorº and 3) mandating lawful interrogations in compliance with the Army Field Manual and thus international agreements. -
The Current Detainee Population of Guantánamo: an Empirical Study
© Reuters/HO Old – Detainees at XRay Camp in Guantanamo. The Current Detainee Population of Guantánamo: An Empirical Study Benjamin Wittes and Zaahira Wyne with Erin Miller, Julia Pilcer, and Georgina Druce December 16, 2008 The Current Detainee Population of Guantánamo: An Empiricial Study Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 Introduction 3 The Public Record about Guantánamo 4 Demographic Overview 6 Government Allegations 9 Detainee Statements 13 Conclusion 22 Note on Sources and Methods 23 About the Authors 28 Endnotes 29 Appendix I: Detainees at Guantánamo 46 Appendix II: Detainees Not at Guantánamo 66 Appendix III: Sample Habeas Records 89 Sample 1 90 Sample 2 93 Sample 3 96 The Current Detainee Population of Guantánamo: An Empiricial Study EXECUTIVE SUMMARY he following report represents an effort both to document and to describe in as much detail as the public record will permit the current detainee population in American T military custody at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba. Since the military brought the first detainees to Guantánamo in January 2002, the Pentagon has consistently refused to comprehensively identify those it holds. While it has, at various times, released information about individuals who have been detained at Guantánamo, it has always maintained ambiguity about the population of the facility at any given moment, declining even to specify precisely the number of detainees held at the base. We have sought to identify the detainee population using a variety of records, mostly from habeas corpus litigation, and we have sorted the current population into subgroups using both the government’s allegations against detainees and detainee statements about their own affiliations and conduct. -
The International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court • an international court set up to prosecute major human rights crimes • Jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression. • Proceedings may be initiated by (1) state party request, (2) the prosecutor, or (3) UN Security Council resolution. • In (1) and (2), the ICC’s jurisdiction is limited to citizens of member states and individuals accused of committing crimes on the territory of member states. In (3), these limits do not apply. • Principle of Complementarity. The Court acts only if the state of primary juris- diction proves itself “unwilling or unable” to launch criminal proceedings (art. 17). Situations under official investigation by the ICC: Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan (Darfur), Central African Republic (2), Kenya, Libya, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Georgia, Burundi. Preliminary Examinations: Afghanistan, Myanmar/Bangladesh (Rohingya crisis), Colombia, Guinea, Iraq (UK), Nigeria, Palestine, Philippines, Ukraine, Venezuela. Convicted by the ICC: Thomas Lubanga (Dem. Rep. of Congo), Germain Katanga (Dem. Rep. of Congo), Bosco Ntaganda (DR Congo), Ahmad Al- Faqi Al-Mahdi (Mali), and a few others for obstruction of justice. Some individuals convicted at trial have been acquitted on appeal. On trial at the ICC: Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain (Sudan), Dominic Ongwen (Uganda). Wanted for trial at the ICC: Omar al-Bashir (Sudan), Seif al-Islam Gaddafi (Libya), Joseph Kony (Uganda), and several others Laurent Gbagbo, former president of Côte d’Ivoire • In late 2017, the prosecutor requested permission to open a formal investigation into crimes committed in Afghanistan. The investigation would cover crimes by the Afghan government, the Taliban, and US authorities. -
20121211 IACHR Petition FINAL
TO THE HONORABLE MEMBERS OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS, ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES PETITION ALLEGING VIOLATIONS OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF JOSE PADILLA and ESTELA LEBRON BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WITH A REQUEST FOR AN INVESTIGATION AND HEARING ON THE MERITS By the undersigned, appearing as counsel for petitioners UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF ARTICLE 23 OF THE RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Steven M. Watt Human Rights Program American Civil Liberties Union 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor New York, NY, 10004 F/(212)-549-2654 P/(212)-519-7870 Hope Metcalf Ingrid Deborah Francois, Law Student Intern Sheng Li, Law Student Intern Alaina Varvaloucas, Law Student Intern Allard K. Lowenstein Human Rights Clinic Yale Law School 127 Wall St. New Haven, CT 06520 P/(203)-432-9404 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1 FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND ................................................................................................ 3 I. Petitioner Estela Lebron ............................................................................................................................................. 3 II. Seizure, Detention, and Interrogation of Jose Padilla ................................................................................... 3 A. Initial Arrest and Detention Under the Material Witness Act ......................................................... -
Extraordinary Rendition and the Torture Convention
Scholarship Repository University of Minnesota Law School Articles Faculty Scholarship 2006 Extraordinary Rendition and the Torture Convention David Weissbrodt University of Minnesota Law School, [email protected] Amy Bergquist Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/faculty_articles Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation David Weissbrodt and Amy Bergquist, Extraordinary Rendition and the Torture Convention, 46 VA. J. INT'L L. 585 (2006), available at https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/faculty_articles/283. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Minnesota Law School. It has been accepted for inclusion in the Faculty Scholarship collection by an authorized administrator of the Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Extraordinary Rendition and the Torture Convention t DAVID WEISSBRODT AMY BERGQUISTt 1. Extraordinary Rendition Violates the Convention Against Torture and the Federal Torture Statute .................................... 599 A. U.S. Acceptance of the Convention Against Torture ...... 600 B. Scope of the Statutory Prohibition of Torture ................. 606 C. Extraordinary Rendition Constitutes a Criminal Conspiracy to Commit Torture ........................................ 611 D. Defenses of Extraordinary Rendition Are Inadequate ..... 621 II. Mechanisms in U.S. Law Can Challenge the Practice of Extraordinary Rendition ............................................................ 625 A . Crim inal Prosecution ...................................................... -
2. the Detainee Has on Multipleoccasionsprovided Subsistenceto Bensayah Belkacem
UNCLASSIFIED CombatantStatus Review Board TO: Tribunal Member FROM : OIC, CSRT (21 September 04) Subject: Summary ofEvidence for Combatant Status Review Tribunal BOUMEDIENE, Lakhdar 1. Under the provisions of the Secretary oftheNavy Memorandum , dated 29 July 2004, Implementation ofCombatant Status Review Tribunal Procedures for Enemy Combatants Detained at Guantanamo Bay NavalBase Cuba, a Tribunal has been appointed to review the detainee's designation as an enemy combatant. 2. An enemy combatant has been defined as “anindividual who was part ofor supporting the Taliban or al Qaida forces, or associated forces that are engaged inhostilities against the United States or its coalition partners. This includes any person who committed a belligerent act or has directly supported hostilitiesinaid of enemy armed forces." 3. The United States Government has previously determined that the detainee is an enemy combatant. This determination is based on information possessed by the United States that indicates that he is an al Qaida supporter . a. The detainee is a supporter of al Qaida : 1. The detainee is a native of Algeria who, since 1990, has repeatedly traveled to hotspotsofregionalconflict throughoutthe MiddleEastandEasternEurope. 2. The detainee has on multipleoccasionsprovided subsistenceto Bensayah Belkacem . 3. BensayahBelkacem is a known al Qaida operative. 4. The detainee has given conflicting statements as to the nature of his association with Belkacem. 5. The detainee admitted retainingand financing legal representationfor a known al Qaida operative after that operative's arrest for terrorist activities. 4. The detainee has the opportunity to contest his designation as an enemy combatant. The Tribunal will endeavor to arrange for the presence of any reasonably available witnesses or evidence that the detainee desires to call or introduce to prove that he is not an enemy combatant . -
Advising Clients After Critical Legal Studies and the Torture Memos
Texas A&M University School of Law Texas A&M Law Scholarship Faculty Scholarship 11-2011 Advising Clients after Critical Legal Studies and the Torture Memos Milan Markovic Texas A&M University School of Law, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.tamu.edu/facscholar Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Milan Markovic, Advising Clients after Critical Legal Studies and the Torture Memos, 114 W. Va. L. Rev. 109 (2011). Available at: https://scholarship.law.tamu.edu/facscholar/344 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Texas A&M Law Scholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of Texas A&M Law Scholarship. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ADVISING CLIENTS AFTER CRITICAL LEGAL STUDIES AND THE TORTURE MEMOS Milan Markovic* I. INTRODUCTION .................................................... 110 II. THE MODEL RULES, ENFORCEMENT, AND WHY LAWYERS OBEY .............. 114 A. The Underenforcement of ProfessionalResponsibility Rules 114 B. Compliance and Self-Interest ...................... 117 III. MODEL RULE 2.1 AND THE PROBLEM OF COMPLIANCE ....... ........ 119 IV. THE TORTURE MEMO CONTROVERSY AND RULE 2.1 ................ 124 A. Background ............................ ...... 125 B. The OPR Report ......................... ...... 128 1. The Investigation and OPR's Standards .... ...... 128 2. The OPR's Findings .................... ..... 130 C. The Margolis Memo ....................... ..... 132 1. Standards Applied .................. ........ 133 2. Application to Yoo..... ..................... 135 V. THE MARGOLIS MEMO's FLAWED ACCOUNT ................ ...... 137 A. Reliance on Indeterminacy ..............................137 B. Does Margolis's Account of Rule 2.1 Follow from the Ethical Rules?......................................139 C. Social Utility.............................. 141 VI. AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW OF RULE 2.1 .............................. -
Supreme Court of the United States Supreme Court Of
No. 06- IN THE Supreme Court of the United States LAKHDAR BOUMEDIENE, et al., Petitioners, v. GEORGE W. BUSH, et al., Respondents. ON PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI STEPHEN H. OLESKEY SETH P. WAXMAN ROBERT C. KIRSCH Counsel of Record MARK C. FLEMING PAUL R.Q. WOLFSON JOSEPH J. MUELLER WILMER CUTLER PICKERING PRATIK A. SHAH HALE AND DORR LLP LYNNE CAMPBELL SOUTTER 1875 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. JEFFREY S. GLEASON Washington, DC 20006 LAUREN G. BRUNSWICK (202) 663-6000 WILMER CUTLER PICKERING HALE AND DORR LLP DOUGLAS F. CURTIS 60 State Street PAUL M. WINKE Boston, MA 02109 JULIAN DAVIS MORTENSON (617) 526-6000 WILMER CUTLER PICKERING HALE AND DORR LLP 399 Park Avenue New York, NY 10022 (212) 230-8800 PURL: https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/074717/ QUESTIONS PRESENTED 1. Whether the Military Commissions Act of 2006, Pub. L. No. 109-366, 120 Stat. 2600, validly stripped federal court jurisdiction over habeas corpus petitions filed by for- eign citizens imprisoned indefinitely at the United States Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay. 2. Whether Petitioners’ habeas corpus petitions, which establish that the United States government has im- prisoned Petitioners for over five years, demonstrate unlaw- ful confinement requiring the grant of habeas relief or, at least, a hearing on the merits. (i) PURL: https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/074717/ LIST OF PARTIES TO PROCEEDING BELOW The parties to the proceeding in the court of appeals (Boumediene, et al. -
War Crimes Act of 1995
WAR CRIMES ACT OF 1995 HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON IMMIGRATION AND CLAIMS OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. ONE HUNDRED FOURTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ON H.R. 2587 WAR CRIMES ACT OF 1995 JUNE 12, 1996 Serial No. 81 Legislative Office MAIN LIBRARY U.S. Dept. of Justice Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 27-100 CC WASHINGTON : 1996 For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office, Washington, DC 20402 ISBN 0-16-053593-X COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY HENRY J. HYDE, Illinois, Chairman CARLOS J. MOORHEAD, California JOHN CONYERS, JR., Michigan F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., PATRICIA SCHROEDER, Colorado Wisconsin BARNEY FRANK, Massachusetts BILL McCOLLUM, Florida CHARLES E. SCHUMER, New York GEORGE W. GEKAS, Pennsylvania HOWARD L. BERMAN, California HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina RICK BOUCHER, Virginia LAMAR SMITH, Texas JOHN BRYANT, Texas STEVEN SCHIFF, New Mexico JACK REED, Rhode Island ELTON GALLEGLY, California JERROLD NADLER, New York CHARLES T. CANADY, Florida ROBERT C. SCOTT, Virginia BOB INGLIS, South Carolina MELVIN L. WATT, North Carolina BOB GOODLATTE, Virginia XAVIER BECERRA, California STEPHEN E. BUYER, Indiana ZOE LOFGREN, California MARTIN R. HOKE, Ohio SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas SONNY BONO, California MAXINE WATERS, California FRED HEINEMAN, North Carolina ED BRYANT, Tennessee STEVE CHABOT, Ohio MICHAEL PATRICK FLANAGAN, Illinois BOB BARR, Georgia ALAN F. COFFEY, JR., General Counsel /Staff Director JULIAN EPSTEIN, Minority Staff Director SUBCOMMITTEE ON IMMIGRATION AND CLAIMS LAMAR SMITH, Texas, Chairman ELTON GALLEGLY, California JOHN BRYANT, Texas CARLOS J. MOORHEAD, California BARNEY FRANK, Massachusetts BILL McCOLLUM, Florida CHARLES E.