A damning new Senate report says the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) conducted brutal torture of prisoners, deceived the government and public about it, blocked oversight, and functioned beyond the law for years following 9/11. The report is devastating in all sorts of ways, not least of all the specific stories of gruesome torture that show the CIA was engaging in actions “far worse” than what they told government officials.
When it comes to picking out the most horrible, gut-wrenching parts of the report, we’re stuck with an embarrassment of riches. Here are some of the worst parts of the torture report:
Prisoners were force fed through the rectum, placed in ice water, and told they would be killed. At least five CIA detainees were subjected to “rectal rehydration” or rectal feeding without documented medical necessity. The CIA placed detainees in ice water “baths.” The CIA led several detainees to believe they would never be allowed to leave CIA custody alive, suggesting to one detainee that he would only leave in a coffin-shaped box. One interrogator told another detainee that he would never go to court, because “we can never let the world know what I have done to you.” CIA officers also threatened at least three detainees with harm to their families — to include threats to harm the children of a detainee, threats to sexually abuse the mother of a detainee, and a threat to “cut [a detainee’s] mother’s throat.
The CIA officers in charge of torture reportedly included individuals who had admitted to sexual assault, among other serious issues. Despite conducting brutal torture, CIA prisons couldn’t offer medical care to detainees. The fact that they were breaking international law was no secret. Even certain CIA officers could not stand to see the results of the torture they conducted.
Being a US citizen did not excuse one from torture. The US bribed foreign officials to allow torture to take place in their countries. Psychologists made $81 million for the work they did with the CIA — which was to basically teach them effective torture techniques. The CIA held a number of detainees about whom they knew very little. The CIA made a prisoner stay awake for over 100 hours. Doctors described the CIA’s water boarding as a series of near drowning.
Muslims terrorism has increased all over the world against inactive Muslim governments and in particular against the US government. Such brutalities Americans used then against Red Indians, the native Americans. In this century such inhuman atrocities were committed and still being committed against the Muslim terror suspects indiscriminately only to show US might and reach of power.
We still believe and say it firmly that counter terrorism will not end terrorism. Try just and fair politics and patient diplomacy. Stop competition for terrorism.
