Afghans Try Americans on Torture Charges

[mumon]

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040721_1029.html

Americans Accused of Torturing Afghans Go on Trial; Ringleader Claims Pentagon Support

The Associated Press



KABUL, Afghanistan July 21, 2004 — Three Americans accused of torturing Afghans in a private jail during a freelance counterterror mission went on trial Wednesday, with their ringleader denying any wrongdoing and claiming U.S. government support.
Jonathan K. Idema, Brett Bennett and Edward Caraballo were arrested when Afghan security forces raided their makeshift jail in a house in Kabul on July 5. American and Afghan authorities say they were vigilantes posing as U.S. special forces and had no official backing.


Idema named a Pentagon official who allegedly asked the group to go "under contract" an offer they refused.

"The American authorities absolutely condoned what we did, they absolutely supported what we did," he told reporters crowding round the dock.


Well, what's that buzz in my ear about Joe Wilson?

[opihimoimoi]

1. OOpppps, no one owns up to knowing these 3 guys...

"You know the rules, if caught, you are on your own... we don't know shit" You got that?"

"Whatever you do, don't get caught"

[mumon]

2. They might as well just have said

"They're ours, of course! Sue us! We'll bomb you!"

We all know the song- and everybody else in the world does, too

[lottie244]

3. Few people even on the DU want to talk about it.

Maybe from shame?

[mumon]

4. I dunno. After all, it really is a Republican thing...

they are pro-torture.

[SalParadise]

5. From the UK's telegraph...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/07/22/wafg22.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/07/22/ixworld.html

quote from article:

"The American authorities absolutely condoned what we did; they supported what we did. We have extensive evidence of that. We're prepared to show e-mails and correspondence and tape-recorded conversations," Idema said before the trial. "We were in contact directly with Donald Rumsfeld's office."

If this turns out to be true, this is it.

[Disturbed]

6. Bring it on!

Call Rumsfailed as a witness. I doubt that this will go anywhere. With the Repugs in control of Congress and most of the Media no Repugs will ever be charged for War Crimes.

[cliss]

9. Wow. This is a stick of dynamite, and the fuse is.....

burning. If they can produce tape-recorded conversations, that's the end of RumsFool.

The only problem is, RumsFailed will probably get to these guys long before they can produce any evidence. They'll be dead in the Afghan jail from "mysterious circumstances".

I'll put $5.00 on a bet.

[TroubleMan]

7. First rule of Torture Club: You do not talk about Torture Club

nt.

[DrWeird]

8. Wouldn't it be interesting...

if we see a couple of americans executed under the new Afghanistan government?

(perhaps with a bullet to the back of the head in a soccer stadium?)

[truthisfreedom]

10. no, i don't think that would be interesting. what would be interesting

is if the corrupt officials running our country were held accountable for just ONE PERCENT of the evil they are doing around the world in our good name.