Prosecute the torturers: It's the law
Torture is a federal crime, and those who authorized it and engaged in it must be criminally prosecuted. On Tuesday, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a 499-page summary of a report that describes the brutal torture carried out by the U.S. government and its employees and agents. Such conduct is reprehensible, but it also is criminal. The only way to ensure that it does not happen again is to criminally prosecute those involved.
The Federal Torture Act states that whoever outside the United States commits or attempts to commit torture shall be imprisoned for not more than 20 years 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. The act broadly defines torture as an act intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering upon another person within his custody or physical control. This includes inflicting severe mental pain or suffering, the intentional infliction or threatened infliction of severe physical pain or suffering or the threat of imminent death.
Additionally, the United States is one 156 nations that have ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. This is an international human-rights treaty that prohibits torture and defines torture in language almost identical to the federal criminal statute.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-torture-report-20141209-story.html
atreides1
(16,313 posts)But as we have seen recently, the law does not apply to those who are above it, like cops, politicians, contracted torturers, etc.
So, there will be no prosecutions...and the US is now known as a country that will conduct torture...so much for all of those values they keep talking about!
NoJusticeNoPeace
(5,018 posts)Michael Brown executed for not showing an ID to store clerk when he bought and paid for his cigars.
But we cant prosecute these vile pieces of shit?
stone space
(6,498 posts)...murder black folks.
We're talking about people in positions of authority here.
underpants
(186,031 posts)90-percent
(6,868 posts)John Kiriakou has been in prison for perhaps a year now, not for committing the torture, but for BLOWING THE WHISTLE AND GOING PUBLIC ON THE ENTIRE AMERICAN TORTURE SYSTEM.
So the only person our entire land of the free home of the brave country punishes for our official policy of torture was an honorable man trying to stop something he knew was wrong and it was his sworn duty to do what he could to stop it.
YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE of how much it sucks to be a government whistle blower these days and also how much the people that run our country have completely lost all sense of honor, duty and basic human decency. Not to mention stupid because it only takes ten minutes on the google to learn how ineffective and low quality torture is for gaining intelligence.
Not only did they squander every principal our country used to stand for since the Revolution, but they were too stupid to comprehend that torture doesn't even fucking work!
It's amazing the magnitude of evil the MIC is capable of, all in the name of fomenting wars so they can make gazillions of dollars. We need a Truman style prosecution of our modern WAR PROFITEERS. A good starting point would be arresting every person that ever served in the GWB White House during his two shit stained terms.
"We don't want the smoking gun to come in the form of a warrant for my arrest for war crimes." - hopefully Condi Rice's next public comment.
-90% Jimmy
OnyxCollie
(9,958 posts)It's a "policy difference," and we don't want to criminalize policy differences.
Duh.
OnyxCollie
(9,958 posts)http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8470942
Associated Press Writer= WASHINGTON (AP) â Attorney General Eric Holder left open the possibility Thursday to prosecuting former Bush administration officials but ruled out filing charges merely over disagreements about policy.
"I will not permit the criminalization of policy differences," Holder testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee.
"However, it is my responsibility as attorney general to enforce the law. It is my duty to enforce the law. If I see evidence of wrongdoing I will pursue it to the full extent of the law," he said.
We've got a 6,000 page torture report, but Eric Holder couldn't find any wrongdoing.
Solly Mack
(92,240 posts)It's been a favorite of mine (but not in good way) to throw about. Torture as a policy difference....instead of what it actually is...a crime.
adirondacker
(2,921 posts)world wide wally
(21,804 posts)vote for more of it in the next election. America has been brainwashed beyond any dictator's wildest dreams.