Judge Garzón prosecutes Bush lawyers over torture claims
A SPANISH court has launched an investigation into torture allegations against US military personnel at the Guantánamo detention centre.
Superjudge Baltazar Garzon is prosecuting six Bush administration lawyers for their roles in advising on interrogation techniques.
It is likely that new president Barack Obama may cooperate with the Spanish investigation.
Garzón said he would investigate allegations made by four detainees who were held at the centre and later released without charges, according to a court document quoted by the Spanish press.
The torture allegations include “sexual abuse”, “beating” and the throwing of fluids into prisoners’ eyes.
A recent decision by the Obama administration to release documents about Guantánamo helped the judge conclude that a police investigation, which could lead to criminal charges, was necessary.
The Spanish investigation was sparked by torture complaints from former Guantánamo detainees Hamed Abderrahman Ahmed, Lahcen Ikassrien, Jamiel Abdul Latif al Banna and Omar Deghayes.
The four men, who had terrorism allegations made against them in Spain dropped by the courts, told the judge that they had been tortured “under the authority of US Army personnel”.
Judge Garzón reportedly cited “documents declassified by the US administration” as giving evidence “of what previously could be intuited: an official plan of approved torture and abuse of people being held in custody while facing no charges and without the most basic rights of people who have been detained.”
There was evidence that the torture allegations could bring criminal proceedings against “the different structures [involved in] the execution, command, design and authorisation of this systematic plan of torture”.
Garzón’s investigation is parallel to a separate case in which a fellow magistrate, Eloy Velasco, must decide whether the National Court can pursue a criminal investigation against six senior US officials for allegedly approving the use of torture.
Garzón has previously used international human rights laws to bring torturers from the Argentinian military dictatorships to trial in Madrid, with military officers from Argentina being found guilty and sent to Spanish jails.
Let us hope Obama reopens the 911 case again as well. Another massive cover up there. Can anyone show me a plane hitting the Pentagon please?
Yeah, right, does that really look like a commercial airliner hitting the Pentagon? How many security cameras would the Pentagon have and yet only this blur exists on camera… DUH.
1:27 shows the tip of small object approaching – but it is not an airliner!
Do your own research and take a look at the other photos on the net of this “event” and you will quickly see that no airliner ever hit the Pentagon. The rammifications of this fake event have yet to be seen.
Just did a quick google “research”. It’s incredible how many 911-is-a-lie-conspiracy-theory websites there are out there.
It’s not incredible Justin; people just don’t like being lied to and treated like idiots. Of course for some, Ignorance is bliss.
I ask you, in your view, is it too much too ask just to see one picture, or indeed one frame, of some plane wreckage (or a PLANE at all for that matter) at the Pentagon site, which doubtless has hundreds of cameras and surveillance systems. You would surely agree this is a pretty secure area? What about black box evidence – where did that go?
The truth will out, but America would never live it down and for that reason alone the true facts of this particular incident are being withheld.
All of this “conspiracy theory nonsense” that you mention could so easily be laid to rest with the release of the evidence. Simple as that really – show me evidence of an aeroplane or admit there is doubt. Looking forward to your reply as ever, Justin.
Hi Fred,
I’m confident the popular mechanics site is credible, as credible as they come. There was plane wreckage inside the Pentagon accor ding to them. They also put to rest all the “hole is not big enough so it could not have been a plane” along with the windows were still intact conspiracy theories. I’m not expecting you to agree, but that’s good enough for me. At least PM consults people who know what they are talking about. There is a list of them on the last page. I don’t see much of that on the 911-is-a-lie websites…
The cameras/surveillance systems around the Pentagon not getting any useful footage is proof of nothing. There may well have been systems/cameras which did, but were destroyed by the crash itself. It would be very nice to see something, but I don’t think it makes much difference to what is known and in the public domain.
The black box evidence is with the FBI. It was a terrorist attack of national significance, so that’s not exactly surprising.
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20020123X00105&key=1
Evidence for all the other crashes is also with the FBI. I don’t see why the Pentagon crash should be treated differently.
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20020123X00103&key=1
You obviously have not read enough Justin. Like the fact that some of the hijackers were actually still seen alive after the event. Lol you still believe building 7 collapsed because of “fire”. I don’t read conspiracy websites, just qualified architects, professors and other world experts over at the 911 For Truth organisation, whose work and experience spans many decades. These are not crackpots. People who believe what the FBI say are deluded.
Fred, I think we both read a lot. I just choose to believe the official conspiracy theory rather than the unofficial one.
Well, I’m glad you agree it was a conspiracy Justin. What we can be sure of is that what we see on the evening news and read in the papers is only 1% of the actual truth in this world. 911 has so many suspicious events surrounding it, that it easily merits further investigation, and one don’t need to be an expert to know that – you just need to have common sense. With the record of the US govt on recent issues, I would take with a pinch of salt what they say.
Attention-getting Heading, but could the Superjudge help us in SPAIN! Plaintiffs seem to be all Arabic (not Spanish) – the alledged Defendents are all US Attornies re an event years old. Will he get the former Pres ofv US on the stand to testify to anything? or who is found guilty of anything?
Why doesn’t Spain use it’s limited legal resources (they always complain about shortage of Courts and Abogados, etc)
on CURRENT major events that effect Spain directly?! WHY does it take so long to abjudicate the criminal suits against Roca, Town Hall Mayors & Counselors, Abogados, Notarios, Estate Agents, Developers et al about the $ Billions in illegal real estate transactions that killed RE development & sales & economy in Andalucia?? WHY!?