Guantanamo abuse has worsened sharply since Obama became president...

[posty 2,862]

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idU...0090225?sp=true

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Abuse of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay has worsened sharply since President Barack Obama took office as prison guards "get their kicks in" before the camp is closed, according to a lawyer who represents detainees.

 

Abuses began to pick up in December after Obama was elected, human rights lawyer Ahmed Ghappour told Reuters. He cited beatings, the dislocation of limbs, spraying of pepper spray into closed cells, applying pepper spray to toilet paper and over-forcefeeding detainees who are on hunger strike.

 

The Pentagon said on Monday that it had received renewed reports of prisoner abuse during a recent review of conditions at Guantanamo, but had concluded that all prisoners were being kept in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.

 

"According to my clients, there has been a ramping up in abuse since President Obama was inaugurated," said Ghappour, a British-American lawyer with Reprieve, a legal charity that represents 31 detainees at Guantanamo.

 

"If one was to use one's imagination, (one) could say that these traumatized, and for lack of a better word barbaric, guards were just basically trying to get their kicks in right now for fear that they won't be able to later," he said.

 

"Certainly in my experience there have been many, many more reported incidents of abuse since the inauguration," added Ghappour, who has visited Guantanamo six times since late September and based his comments on his own observations and conversations with both prisoners and guards.

 

He stressed the mistreatment did not appear to be directed from above, but was an initiative undertaken by frustrated U.S. army and navy jailers on the ground. It did not seem to be a reaction against the election of Obama, a Democrat who has pledged to close the prison camp within a year, but rather a realization that there was little time remaining before the last 241 detainees, all Muslim, are released.

 

"It's 'hey, let's have our fun while we can,'" said Ghappour, who helped secure the release this week of Binyam Mohamed, a British resident freed from Guantanamo Bay after more than four years in detention without trial or charge.

 

"I can't really imagine why you would get your kicks from abusing prisoners, but certainly, having spoken to certain guards who have been injured in Iraq, who indirectly or directly blame my clients for their injuries and the trauma they have suffered, it's not too difficult to put two and two together."

 

FORCE-FEEDING

 

Following a January 22 order from Obama, the U.S. Defense Department conducted a two-week review of conditions at Guantanamo ahead of the planned closure of the prison on Cuba.

 

Admiral Patrick Walsh, the review's author, acknowledged on Monday that reports of abuse had emerged but concluded all inmates were being treated in line with the Geneva Conventions.

 

"We heard allegations of abuse," he said, asked if detainees had reported torture. "And what we did at that point was to go back and investigate the allegation... What we found is that there were in some cases substantiated evidence where guards had misconduct, I think that would be the best way to put it."

 

Walsh said his review looked at 20 allegations of abuse, 14 of which were substantiated, but he did not go into details. Generally he said the abuse ranged from "gestures, comments, disrespect" to "preemptive use of pepper spray."

 

Ghappour said he had spoken to army guards who, unsolicited, had described the pleasure they took in abusing prisoners, whether interrupting prayer or physical mistreatment. He said they appeared unconcerned about potential repercussions.

 

He also saw evidence of guards pulling identity numbers off their uniforms or switching them once they were on duty in order to make it more difficult for them to be identified.

 

Ghappour said he had filed two complaints of serious detainee abuse since December 22 but received no response from U.S. authorities. In one case his client had his knee, shoulder and thumb dislocated by a group of guards, Ghappour said.

 

In one of the six main camps at Guantanamo, the lawyer said all the detainees he knew were on hunger strike and subject to force-feeding, including with laxatives that induced chronic diarrhea while they were strapped in their feeding chairs.

 

"Several of my clients have had toilet paper pepper-sprayed while they have had hemorrhoids," Ghappour said.

 

Another area of concern was evidence that detainees were being abused on the way to meetings with their lawyers -- sometimes so badly that they no longer wanted to meet with counsel for fear of the beatings they would receive, he said.

 

"Some detainees are convinced they are going to be locked up there forever, despite the promises to close the camp," he said.

[Frank M 181]

 

Makes one proud, doesn't it?

[NorthernVike 2,105]

 

Makes one proud, doesn't it?

 

 

What? Because you believe what some two bit focking attorney has to say.

 

 

 

 

"Ahmed Ghappour" Yeah, with a name like this, he has no agenda besides the well being of terrorist.

[Frank M 181]

What? Because you believe what some two bit focking attorney has to say.

"Ahmed Ghappour" Yeah, with a name like this, he has no agenda besides the well being of terrorist.

 

Well, seeing as there have been documented abuses at Guantanomo, it seems likely that at least some of it is tue, and for that, I give a big .

 

Count me in the camp of Americans are supposed to be better than that, and any abuse of any prisoner diminishes all of us.

[surferskin 31]

[Mungwater 601]

Well, seeing as there have been documented abuses at Guantanomo, it seems likely that at least some of it is tue, and for that, I give a big .

 

Count me in the camp of Americans are supposed to be better than that, and any abuse of any prisoner diminishes all of us.

 

George Washington was more abusive to his own soldiers. I don't really care what happens to a detainee, abuse them all, it isn't a country club.

[Frank M 181]

George Washington was more abusive to his own soldiers. I don't really care what happens to a detainee, abuse them all, it isn't a country club.

 

 

Apparently that's the attitude of some of the soldiers there, too.

 

[NorthernVike 2,105]

Apparently that's the attitude of some of the soldiers there, too.

 

 

 

Apparently my ass. All you have is some statement from a focking attorney.

[Frank M 181]

Apparently my ass. All you have is some statement from a focking attorney.

 

 

From the provided link:

 

"We heard allegations of abuse," he said, asked if detainees had reported torture. "And what we did at that point was to go back and investigate the allegation... What we found is that there were in some cases substantiated evidence where guards had misconduct, I think that would be the best way to put it."

 

So an attorney says there has been torture, an admiral says there has been misconduct. My guess is that it's probably somewhere in between.

 

Still

[Mungwater 601]

There is worse abuse at any fraternity or military school.

 

who really cares? We should just do with them what we did with Ocelan. We caught him, handed him over the Italians, he was tried and hanged within like a day. If he was in our system, he'd still be alive.

[patweisers44 876]

I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way.

[SUXBNME 1,636]

Whatever it takes to get proper info from the scum, I'm all for it.

 

Stick bamboo shoots up their peemus for all I care.

[patweisers44 876]

Whatever it takes to get proper info from the scum, I'm all for it.

 

Stick bamboo shoots up their peemus for all I care.

[phillybear] [/phillybear]

[kpbuckeye 3]

Whatever it takes to get proper info from the scum, I'm all for it.

 

Stick bamboo shoots up their peemus for all I care.

 

Not fair

 

we need to set an example for the world.

 

If we treat these guys good the bad guys around the world will treat our guys good.

[posty 2,862]

If we treat these guys good the bad guys around the world will treat our guys good.

 

Highly unlikely...

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

Highly unlikely...

 

Agreed, not likely, but...

 

1) We are supposed to be the good guys, remember?

 

and

 

2) If we routinely torture prisoners, and detain them forever with no charge, we are in no position to b!tch when some other country does it to our guys.

[GettnHuge 2]

applying pepper spray to a terrorist's toilet paper?

 

awesome

 

 

I dun like terrorists

[kpbuckeye 3]

Agreed, not likely, but...

 

1) We are supposed to be the good guys, remember?

 

and

 

2) If we routinely torture prisoners, and detain them forever with no charge, we are in no position to b!tch when some other country does it to our guys.

 

yea, what this puzzay says.

[TheBlade 3]

I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way.

You WANT me on that wall. You NEEEEED me on that wall.

 

[Savage Beast 1]

applying pepper spray to a terrorist's toilet paper?

 

awesome

I dun like terrorists

 

 

Don't want to be tortured, don't be linked with and avoid all known terrorists and their organizations.

 

Guess what? The reason I'm not being tortured in Guantanamo prison, is because I have no association with terrorists.

 

Torture is too good for terrorists and their friends anyway, hanging them by their cowardly pencil necks would be better.

[Voltaire 5,537]

They're too dangerous to release but still have to be treated well. The whole world is paying attention to how we treat these scum so don't give them an excuse to b*tch about anything other than they're being detained prety much forever.

[Savage Beast 1]

They're too dangerous to release but still have to be treated well. The whole world is paying attention to how we treat these scum so don't give them an excuse to b*tch about anything other than they're being detained prety much forever.

 

 

The rest of the World can go F0CK themselves.

 

They all hate us anyway. Always have always will.

 

No need to pvssy out in order to look good. It's all for bullsh!+ show anyway.

 

Kill em all, and let God deal with their b@stard Christ mocking souls.

[SUXBNME 1,636]

 

The rest of the World can go F0CK themselves.

 

They all hate us anyway. Always have always will.

 

No need to pvssy out in order to look good. It's all for bullsh!+ show anyway.

 

Kill em all, and let God deal with their b@stard Christ mocking souls.

LAKE OF FIRE

 

 

If nothing else, you have brought something funny to the geek club...For that, I salute you.

 

Also, Voltaire does have a good point. (quite honestly, the best worded in here in defense of the inmates)Seriously.

[GettnHuge 2]

They're too dangerous to release but still have to be treated well. The whole world is paying attention to how we treat these scum so don't give them an excuse to b*tch about anything other than they're being detained prety much forever.

 

There's a kewl show on here the last couple years called 'locked up abroad' mostly about americans or brits who did

something stupid overseas and got busted. Many of them in countries that critique us on the subject. I'd rather be in

Gitmo than where most of them were.

 

so I dun really care what those hypocrites think.