The torture of Iraqi detainees at a secret prison in Baghdad was far more systematic and brutal than initially reported, Human Rights Watch reported on Tuesday.
The Washington Post:
Adding to the political tension, Human Rights Watch released a report late Tuesday saying that members of a military unit under the command of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, systemically tortured and sexually abused hundreds of Sunni Arab prisoners.
Iraqi men held for months at a secret prison outside Baghdad were systematically tortured and forced to sign confession statements that in at least some cases they were forbidden to read, according to a new report by a human rights group released Wednesday.
When OTHER people do it, HRW is a legitimate, credible source, and it is not “allegations of torture” or “enhanced interrogation techniques.”
Funny, that. In a really sad way.
*** Update ***
We’ll see how much the Iraqi government has been paying attention they call this the work of a few bad apples doing some frat boy pranks and then publish the menu at the prison.
jeffreyw
Nothin personal, just bidness.
KRK
So disgustingly predictable.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
Well fuck me dead. The dude reads American right wing blogs. Who’d a thunk that.
The Grand Panjandrum
Aw, shoot, I was hoping for a thread on trannies. Sigh. Another thread on the Techniques Formerly Know as Enhancement Interrogation. That’s like so totally 2006.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
Iraq ain’t Kansas. On the other hand maybe it is.
srv
If it was good enough for Saddam, it’s good enough for our ally. Next up, gassin some Kurds.
Dave C
@The Grand Panjandrum:
A Balloon Juice thread on trannies would be so fucking epic that it would make the hilarious Batman vs. Boba Fett derail from earlier today seem positively boring in comparison. I say bring it on!!
matt
I’m dyin for john’s post on the republicans backing down.
3 days? Pussies.
edit: I missed the derail but the goddamn batman would utterly annihilate boba fett.
de stijl
The interrogation technique that dare not speak its name.
Midnight Marauder
I would say they have been paying very acute attention to the way the game is played.
HumboldtBlue
Hell, I read a headline at Raw Story that claimed Iraqi leaders swear those guys tortured themselves to make the U.S. and their Iraqi lackeys look bad.
Mnemosyne
@Midnight Marauder:
You mean that the Iraqis are saying exactly what we DFH’s said that countries caught torturing people would say from now on (ie that the US doesn’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to lecturing other countries about torture)?
Well, knock me over with a feather. Hoocoodanode?
Uli Kunkel
Usually I find the NYT Public Editor pretty reasonable, but the piece he did on the “T” word was hackery of the worst kind.
The Moar You Know
Lemon chicken on that menu, right? Hell, those boys are eatin’ better then the soldiers that they’re tryin’ to kill. An’ better than mah wife makes most nights, heh heh.
Oh, what’s that you say? They were Iraqis pulling some fraternity prank…er, I meant torturing other Iraqis? This is a disgrace, and the people that perpetuated these atrocities must be made to answer! Their blood and tears cry out for vengeance!
/neocon
fucen tarmal
i wonder if the next time the gop wants to impress some big donors they take them to a vital intelligence gathering and inhanced interrogation club.
Richard S
The NYT and NPR are nothing but a bunch of cowardly corporatists and that aint goin to improve. They know where their bread (pay checks) are buttered. Are you listening Hoyt? Torture is torture no matter who does it.
Richard S
I’ve got a lot of smart friends. I’ve asked them all the question that I’m about to ask of the Balloon-Juice crowd because over time I’ve grown to enjoy your company and respect your feedback.
Can anyone tell me the difference between rape and torture? I don’t ask this lightly because I really believe that they are virtually the same and would like someone to prove me wrong so that the people in my life who have good words about torture can say they don’t like/condone rape.
Mnemosyne
@Richard S:
In my view, rape is a subset of torture (especially when it’s used to terrorize a population during a war). Trying to figure out the difference is like trying to figure out the difference between your car and its engine.
(Okay, that’s not a great metaphor, but I can’t think of any subsets right now, damn it.)
Comrade Kevin
@Richard S: As far as I am concerned, rape is a form of torture.
Uli Kunkel
@Richard S:
See the torture statute definition of torture.
A normal person would count rape as “severe physical or mental pain or suffering”. A John Yoo, on the other hand, would equivocate like the piece of shit he is.
sukabi
I saw an article today that said the Iraqi PM was claiming that their prisoners were torturing themselves…
sounds like they’ve taken lessons from our Republican party…
Richard S
Thank You! As I said this is a company/forum which I like and respect. I’ll be a little less shy to use the homologue since I’m no longer thinking it’s an analogue.
quagmiremonkey
Don’t forget Obama’s lessons for the Iraqis: “Look Forward”, “State Secrets” and “Military Courts”.
NameRequired
@matt:
Only if he’s prepared
Bruce (formerly Steve S.)
@Richard S:
Whatever the dictionary says.
Why would it be incumbent upon anyone to prove you wrong about something you believe? If you have reason to think that these two discreet concepts are in fact “virtually the same” then tell us what that reason is.
Words should mean what they mean, not shift meaning in order to help you win an argument.
Eric
Just wanted to let you know that the article is unreadable in IE6.