4 ex-detainees sue Rumsfeld, 10 othersPlaintiffs allege officials to blame

[seemslikeadream]

4 ex-detainees sue Rumsfeld, 10 others
Plaintiffs allege officials to blame for abuse at base
By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff | October 28, 2004

WASHINGTON -- Four former Guantanamo detainees yesterday sued Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and 10 others in the military chain of command overseeing the American interrogation prison in Cuba, alleging that the officials are personally responsible for illegal acts of prolonged arbitrary detention and torture.

The lawsuit, believed to be the first of its kind by former detainees who have since been released from the prison, seeks $10 million for each of the men to be paid by the officials out of their own pockets as compensation for their role in the alleged abuses.

All four plaintiffs are British citizens who were taken into US military custody in December 2001 in Afghanistan, and released in March from Cuba. Although they were imprisoned and interrogated for more than two years, none has been charged with a crime.

"This case is not about the money," Eric Lewis, a lawyer for the detainees, said at a press conference yesterday. "It is about accountability. Torture is un-American. Arbitrary detention is un-American. And what these young men have suffered, and continue to suffer, is something for which we and the American justice system need to hold these people accountable."

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http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2004/10/28/4_ex_detainees_sue_rumsfeld_10_others/

[Nordic]

1. don'tcha just love that word "detainees"

Just another example of Bushco Orwellian double-speak.

How about the plain old-fashioned word "prisoner".

"detained" is something that happens to you when your business meeting runs late. "Sorry, honey, I'll be late for dinner, I've been DETAINED".

No. These are prisoners. Imprisoned.

I hope they sue the shit out of Rummy and Co.

[Moderator]

2. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=939690