Torture Autopsy Reveals Death by Enhanced Interrogation

[kpete]

The Beating
http://action.aclu.org/torturefoia/released/102405/3146.pdf

According to the autopsy report (PDF), Habibullah was not injured when he first arrived at the Bagram detention facility:

MEDICAL RECORD REVIEW: Copies of the inprocessing evaluation are reviewed in full. The clinical portion documents the decedent as "appearing well", without injuries and offering "moderate resistance to inprocessing". The decedent was "dead on arrival" per the Medical Treatment Facility (MTF) Emergency Room record which was otherwise non-contributory.

On autopsy, however, Habibullah's body bore the stigmata of torture (Graphic content warning):

Head and Neck: Multiple abrasions and contusions and evidence of ligature or other instrument applied to the neck:

On the right side of the neck there are two parallel, faint, linear abraded contusions. each averaging 1 1/4 x 1/4 inches with 1/2 inch separation between the two. They average approximately 10 inches below the top of the head and three inches to the right of the anterior midline. Just to the left of these is a similar, fainter, patchy abraded contusion inapproximately the same dimensions.

Torso: Multiple contusions and abrasions including "brush burn" injuries consistent with being dragged on the ground.

Extremities: Multiple contusions and abrasions, including injuries around the wrists consistent with shackling. On the thighs were linear contusions likely made from being struck with blunt objects. The patterns in the skin of the left calf revealed the likely source of the injuries- combat boots:

On the back of the left knee and calf is a 11 x 7 1/2 inch red-dark purple contusion which extends upwards above the back of the knee in a linear fashion. On internal examination, confluent hemorrhage extends deep within the muscle which is focally necrotic. On the left calf, centrally located, is a patterned abrasion consisting of multiple parallel horizontal linear abrasions the largest averaging 1 1/2 x 1/4 inches, these are closely spaced.

.................

more (plus more links)at:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/6/30/747973/-Torture-Autopsy-Reveals-Death-by-Enhanced-Interrogation
http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/06/30/04-309-death-from-torture/#more-4377

* United States Code
o TITLE 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
+ PART I - CRIMES
# CHAPTER 113C - TORTURE

U.S. Code as of: 01/19/04
Section 2340A. Torture

(a) Offense. - Whoever outside the United States commits or
attempts to commit torture shall be fined under this title or
imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both, and if death results to
any person from conduct prohibited by this subsection, shall be
punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life.
(b) Jurisdiction. - There is jurisdiction over the activity
prohibited in subsection (a) if -
(1) the alleged offender is a national of the United States; or
(2) the alleged offender is present in the United States,
irrespective of the nationality of the victim or alleged
offender.

(c) Conspiracy. - A person who conspires to commit an offense
under this section shall be subject to the same penalties (other
than the penalty of death) as the penalties prescribed for the
offense, the commission of which was the object of the conspiracy.

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/18/parts/i/notes.html

[fascisthunter]

1. kick

this needs lots of exposure. This is a huge problem for America.

[pmorlan1]

2. Thanks for posting.

I can't believe the Obama administration really expects all of us to just forget about what was done and move on.

[NOW tense]

3. I think the truth needs to come out, and not on Friday July 3rd. n/t

[Solly Mack]

4. K&R

[Soylent Brice]

5. K&R

[pleah]

6. K&R

[spooky3]

7. how much more evidence do we need before we act?????

[Gregorian]

8. Have you heard? Michael Jackson is dead.

I'm against the death penalty. However, Rumsfeld, Bush, Cheney, et al, should have already been on a gallows scaffolding. It's an outrage what happened, and it's just as much of an outrage that it's all but being ignored. It appears that it is all but being ignored. I remember the fireworks of Shock an Awe. I remember thinking about what was happening on the other end of those fabulous bursts of light. I could see Fox viewers stuffing their faces at their dinner tables, while beings on the other side of the world were being injured. How entertaining. And the truth is perhaps over a million Iraqis are DEAD. And how many really were tortured. But there is yet another crime being committed. Ignorance to the facts. Congress and the media are playing this like a game. It has always been this way. But I want to do better. I want a better world. And we aren't going to get there by torturing, and then calling it something by another name, and then faking that we believe it. The Pol Pot did it. Hitler did it. Pinochet did it. And Bush's people did it. And it typically takes just long enough so that it doesn't matter, for justice to almost be served. Stupid and fearful societies let this stuff happen. Look at the non-election that just happened in Iran. Cheaters win? Maybe that IS reality. But that isn't what this country is based on. But it's going to be, if we don't do something about it.


Edit- That was a pre espresso morning rant. I can't understand why people let their opinions rule over facts.

[Patchuli]

27. Yes, I have. And I am sad about it

but that doesn't change the fact that my previously-appointed, NOT ELECTED, Administration has done these horrible horrible things to people, innocent or guilty. That is NOT going to escape my attention. Not for a second. Nor am I going to be silent on demanding that these criminals be held accountable and punished.

But could you just leave Michael out of it, please? We're all on the hook to make sure the TORTURE is not ignored or committed again.

Thanks.

[Gregorian]

45. The context of my comment has nothing to do with Michael.

It's about the media. I have more sympathy in my heart for him than many. But I am utterly disgusted that our so-called media is more of an entertainment circus than the serious fourth estate that it is. Were it not for the media's complete lack of journalistic effort, Bush would have never been selected in the first place. And attacking another country should have raised a clamor so loud that the country revolted in the streets. Just the opposite. The sleeping, profit making goons just let this murder continue without the slightest resistance. Meanwhile, outlets like Linktv, who host Democracy Now, with Amy Goodman, have to resort to half of their broadcast begging for money, just to earn the cash that Fox spends in ten minutes, in order to fund their network for a half a year.

Iran is in flames, and we sat on our asses watching Michael Jackson. I think it's extremely frightening. Far more so than mentioning his name again. I know you understand. I'm really discouraged. I'm sick and tired of an ignorant country. What comes out of the tv set is what goes into the head of so many Americans. It's essentially an illiterate country, if I may say so.

[Patchuli]

47. I understood your point

completely. We turn our tv on pretty much once a week, for much of the same reason. I'd rather get my news on the net. But people are pretty sad about Michael so although I get it, it bothered me. I would love to see more people shun tv and seek the truth...

[Canuckistanian]

9. K&R

[Echo In Light]

10. I'll bet the pigs who torture these helpless, bound prisoners get boners and wet panties from it

[Seldona]

25. Coming to a neiborhood near you.

Many of them are there already. I cannot imagine all of them being sociopaths and not having issues with what they did, except for those that ordered it perhaps. We will be dealing with this in so many ways, for decades.

[sam kane]

11. thanks for posting. nt.

nt.

[Dystopian]

12. KandR. n/t

[Snazzy]

13. Greenwald today: The suppressed fact: deaths by U.S. torture

Tuesday June 30, 2009 12:31 EDT
The suppressed fact: deaths by U.S. torture

After numerous delays sought by the Obama administration, it is expected that a 2004 CIA Inspector General's Report -- aggressively questioning both the efficacy and legality of Bush's interrogation tactics -- will be released tomorrow. A heavily redacted version of that document was released by the Bush administration in response to an ACLU lawsuit and it remains to be seen how much new information will be included in the report.

In anticipation of the release of that report, there is an important effort underway -- as part of the ACLU Accountability Project -- to correct a critically important flow in the public debate over torture and accountability. The premise of so many media discussions of torture is that "torture" is something that was confined to a single tactic (waterboarding) and three "high-value" detainee accused of being high-level Al Qaeda operatives. The reality is completely different.

The interrogation and detention regime implemented by the U.S. resulted in the deaths of over 100 detainees in U.S. custody -- at least. While some of those detass were the result of "rogue" interrogators and agents, many were caused by the methods authorized at the highest levels of the Bush White House, including extreme stress positions, hypothermia, sleep deprivation and others. Aside from the fact that they cause immense pain, that's one reason we've always considered those tactics to be "torture" when used by others -- because they inflict serious harm, and can even kill people. Those arguing against investigations and prosecutions -- that we Look to the Future, not the Past -- are thus literally advocating that numerous people get away with murder.

The record could not be clearer regarding the fact that we caused numerous detainee deaths, many of which have gone completely uninvestigated, let alone unpunished. Instead, the media and political class have misleadingly caused the debate to consist of the myth that these tactics were limited and confined. As Gen. Barry McCaffrey recently put it:

We should never, as a policy, maltreat people under our control, detainees. We tortured people unmercifully. We probably murdered dozens of them during the course of that, both the armed forces and the C.I.A.

Journalist and Human Rights Watch research John Sifton similarly documented that "approximately 100 detainees, including CIA-held detainees, have died during U.S. interrogations, and some are known to have been tortured to death."

...

It's not uncommon, of course, for our political debates to be distorted. But discussions over torture and accountability have descended to a new level. The picture that is most commonly conveyed -- that torture was confined to a small handful of cases, was highly regulated, and resulted in no long-lasting harm -- is pure propaganda, completely false. The reality -- that our "interrogation tactics" killed numerous detainees, who, by definition, are people confined helplessly in our custody, virtually none of whom has been convicted of anything, and at least some of whom are completely innocent -- is virtually never heard as part of these debates. It's vital that this changes. Tomorrow's likely release of a new version of the incriminating CIA IG Report provides an excellent opportunity for that finally to happen.

....

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/06/30/accountability/index.html

(lots more there, as well as links in to ACLU etc.)

[K Gardner]

16. Obama has GOT to do something. But then, we only now apologized for slavery.

[andronimo]

35. Torture, Slavery, 2010~!

Torture is necessary and is being used just as much today as it was two years ago. Just because they say they arent doesnt mean they are not. Slavery is over with so get over it. Obama will be voted out in 2012 and congress will be vastly changed and taken away from the dems in less than two years. A good portion of the crap O has done will be over turned and all things will be right again as they should be in the world. Even the people that voted for this clown are turning on him. Just about the time the celebration ends 2010 will come in and end the carnival show. Sorry peeps but your time is ever so limited.

[krispos42]

38. Not as limited as your time on DU is.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

42. Go waterboard yourself, asshole.

[Flaneur]

14. Torture kills American values.

The shining city on the hill hides the dungeons within.

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

15. GRAPHIC

One of many.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

17. This travesty undermines everything this country is supposed to stand for.

Goddamn criminals need to be brought to justice. You know who you are you sociopath monsters... Addington, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Bush, Yoo, etc.

[andronimo]

36. Heroes

Those people you just mentioned are heroes and saved your life.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

37. "Liberalism is a mental disorder."

Um, buh bye.

[fasttense]

40. And the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy are real people too. n/t

[bobthedrummer]

18. K&R +

"In Contravention of Conventional Wisdom: CIA 'no touch' torture makes sense out of mind control allegations" by Cheryl Welsh (January 2008 Mind Justice)
http://www.mindjustice.org/wisdom.htm

[annabanana]

19. This will never go away. . . .k&r

[Adir Pykhtin]

20. Let's move forward, not backward

Let's not demand interrogations for this. Let's be pragmatic, mkay?

[flakban]

33. move forward? and let it happen again with impunity?

If there are no prosecutions, there will be nothing to deter future corrupt administrations from authorizing and ordering the same kind of atrocities during their own preemptive invasions and occupations. When that time comes, do you really want to have those atrocities on your conscience because we opted to do nothing (i.e, to look forward, not backward)? Sometimes looking backward to repair and restore IS in fact looking forward... this is most certainly one of those times.

As much as he rejects it, President Obama MUST change course and decide to embrace justice and follow the rule of law. If he doesn't, he's complicit in obstruction of justice.

http://www.zazzle.com/realmscape

[GeorgeGist]

21. For Sanity's sake please stop the euphimism.

example: Autopsy Reveals Death by Torture.

[Enthusiast]

22. But our torture was

well intentioned. Plus, it was keeping us free, safe and the envy of the world. Now, under weak President Obama, terrorists could strike us any minute. Better start the torturing again. :sarcasm:

[spanone]

23. instead of jail, the perpetrators are on our teevees and giving paid speeches

torture pays evidently

[progressoid]

24. But Democracy is safe from teh terrists so it;s ok.

[Amonester]

26. K&R

I urge you, kpete, to send a copy of this OP (with full links) to:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

ASAP.


:kick:

[Dragonfli]

28. K&R - nt

[oregonjen]

29. Must we use the words "enhanced interrogation" instead of torture

The media has used this over and over, including Portland's progressive radio station's local morning hosts. I'm sick of it. Torture. That's what it is.

[Subdivisions]

30. I think the use of that phrase went over your head. n/t

[oregonjen]

32. How so?

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2007/05/verschfte_verne.html

[NNN0LHI]

31. The people who did this stuff could move in next door to us and we wouldn't know what they did

I don't like that at all.

We know who all the convicted sex criminals are in our towns but we have no idea who the torturers and murderers are? And we aren't even going to prosecute these people? We are not even investigating them for what they did?

Holy sheep shit!

Don

[Overseas]

34. K&R

Still hoping for prosecutions.

[tomm2thumbs]

39. thanks for posting

[grahamhgreen]

41. THE FILM THAT WILL PUT BUSH BEHIND BARS!

Coming OCT 13 2009

Teaser trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcl-uofCzRc

Website:

[Blue_Tires]

43. kick for ACLU

[libnnc]

44. kick

[johnhkennedy]

46. We Must Have Prosecution-Please Sign The Petitions

"if death results to any person from conduct prohibited by this subsection, shall be
punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life."

The only way America can move forward, protect our Constitution and Rule Of Law

Is To Prosecute Bush's Torturers


Please


SIGN THE PETITION
Calling for Prosecution

http://ANGRYVOTERS.ORG

.


Thanks