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Bezig met laden... Monstering: Inside America's Policy of Secret Interrogations and Torture in the Terror War (editie 2007)door Tara McKelvey (Auteur)
Informatie over het werkMonstering: Inside America's Policy of Secret Interrogations and Torture in the Terror War door Tara McKelvey
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In April 2004, the Abu Ghraib photographs set off an international scandal. Yet until now, the full story has never been told. Tara McKelvey the first U.S.journalist to speak with female prisoners from Abu Ghraib traveled to the Middle East and across the United States to seek out victims and perpetrators. McKelvey tells how soldiers, acting in an atmosphere that encouraged abuse and sadism, were unleashed on a prison population of which the vast majority, according to army documents, were innocent civilians. Drawing upon critical sources, she discloses a series of explosive revelations: An exclusive jailhouse interview with Lynndie England connects the Abu Ghraib pictures to lewd vacation photos taken by England's boyfriend Charles Graner; formerly undisclosed videotapes show soldiers "Robotripping" on cocktails of over-the-counter drugs while pretending to stab detainees; new material sheds light on accusations against an American suspected of raping an Iraqi child; and first-hand accounts suggest the use of high-voltage devises, sexual humiliation and pharmaceutical drugs on Iraqi prisoners. She also provides an inside look at Justice Department theories of presidential power to show how the many abuses were licensed by the government. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)365.956747Social sciences Social problems and services; associations Penal & related institutions History, geographic treatment, biography Asia Middle East IraqLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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While she discusses the "torture memo", overzealous interrogators, drugs, sex, group think, weak personalities, twisted minds, subpar and biased privately-contracted interpreters, constant fear of attacks on the prisons, ignored requests for adequate resources, little or no oversight on the part of commanders, and naked and hooded prisoners that could not speak English, the layers of factors that led to the the abuse become more clear. All of the cards were in place for illicit activity and the tone was set. Although not many were prosecuted in the aftermath of the scandal, the overall consensus was that degrading and humiliating prisoners was expected of the soldiers, and this was not an isolated incident. Torture techniques were formally taught in Abu Gharib, and some soldiers used their own strange methods.
Certainly not objective, this book was written to convey a message of abhorrence and to call for a re-evaluation of the morals of the country and the U.S. government. She seeks to see those in charge held responsible for their actions and those under their command, for allowing the torture of civilians. And not just commanding officers, but also the upper echelons of government who were also complicit.
I can not help but think how completely not surprised I am. American prisons are bad, how could anyone possibly expect a prison in enemy territory to be more humane. In the minds of the soldiers and military officials, all prisoners - whether insurgent Saddam followers or peaceful shopkeepers - were potentially dangerous and more importantly, potentially full of intelligence information that could be used in the fight against terror (whatever that is exactly). Look at history, it is what we do. Not really surprising. However, with this book, I am one step closer to understanding the human beast.