What’s going on with the C.I.A.?On Tuesday, December 9, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a report revealing the details of the C.I.A.’s post-9/11 interrogation program.
The report revealed the C.I.A.’s use of brutal torture tactics in its effort to obtain information from terrorist suspects. While the C.I.A. claims these tactics were key in obtaining information to prevent future terrorist attacks, the Senate Intelligence Committee doesn’t quite agree.
What is Obama saying about all of this?While the President did acknowledge that the C.I.A.’s techniques meet the definition of torture, he did not comment on whether or not the tactics were helpful in gaining information.
What torture tactics did the C.I.A. use?In Afghanistan, one prisoner died of hypothermia when he was drenched in water and shackled to the concrete floor.Other tactics include waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and rectal hydration.
Where were some of these prisoners kept?In the aftermath of 9/11, the C.I.A. was quick to imprison suspects to obtain information and keep Americans safe. However, in doing so, the C.I.A. wrongfully detained and tortured innocent people.After the initial release of the report, word got out that some suspects were kept in secret prisons. One secret prison, called Salt Pit, is in Afghanistan.Mr. Bashmilah, 1 of 26 prisoners “wrongfully detained,” explained that he was subject to immense amounts of torture during his 19 months in a secret prison. He told the New York Times anecdotes of being shackled alone in a freezing prison cell. Bashmilah stated that he tried to commit suicide at least three times.
Why is this important?While the American government publically condemns torture and secret prisons, Tuesday’s report shows that the C.I.A.’s tactics include both. This raises the complex question: how should our government simultaneously protect the American people and appropriately pursue justice?
Sources:http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/13/us/politics/amid-details-on-torture-data-on-26-held-in-error-.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/12/11/cheney-defends-cia-interrogation-techniques-calls-senate-report-flawed/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/11/us/politics/obama-effectiveness-cia-torture.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/12/us/politics/cia-director-brennan-torture-report.html