George W. Bush’s Tortured Defense Of Torture

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George W. Bush’s Tortured Defense Of Torture
Posted by Mash under Personal , Human Rights



"For the purposes of this Convention, the term "torture" means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions. " - Article I, paragraph 1 of the Convention Against Torture ratified by the United States on April 18, 1988.

The United Nations Committee Against Torture released its State Report for the United States on May 18, 2006. In an 11-page indictment of the United States the Committee laid bare America’s loss of moral authority in the world. The report was a product of the 36th session of the Committee Against Torture. Of the 7 countries reviewed during the session only the United States provided a written defense of its torture policies to the Committee. More so than the Committee report the written response of the United States demonstrates that the United States has been engaged in a systematic campaign of torture since the attacks of September 11, 2001. The report and the American response shed light on a shameful chapter in American history.

The American defense of torture is based on four pillars of argument:

-The United States defines torture differently than the United Nations Convention Against Torture.
-The Convention Against Torture does not apply during times of armed conflict.
-The Convention Against Torture only applies to the United States when it commits torture on the territory of the United States.
-Kidnapping and disappearance perpetrated by the United States do not constitute torture.

much more and lots of links at:
http://www.docstrangelove.com/2006/05/20/george-w-bushs-tortured-defense-of-torture/