November 19, 2008 :: Denver Lessing :: No Comment Yet
US vice president Dick Cheney has been indicted by a Texas grand jury for crimes related to an alleged prison-profiteering scheme, including but not limited to charges of “at least misdemeanor assaults”, due to his investments in certain firms. Former US attorney general Alberto Gonzales was also indicted, along with 5 other individuals. The indictment is connected to the dealings of an investment company, involving privatized federal prisons in Texas.
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August 4, 2008 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
The new book, The Dark Side, by Jane Mayer, goes to the roots of the Bush administration’s bold modifications to long-standing security policy, including an apparent devotion to the use of extreme interrogation methods, classed by both law and judicial precedent as torture, to extract information from detainees, despite such actions negating the possibility of any established form of prosecution based on such evidence.
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June 2, 2008 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
The human rights group Reprieve has accused the United States government of using military ships as offshore prisons, to hold an unknown number of individuals detained in the war on terror (ranging from Africa to south and central Asia, and possibly southeast Asia). It names two specific vessels as likely involved, and suspects as many as 17 have been used in this way. The group has called on the US administration of Pres. George W. Bush to name all individuals held, their location, condition, reason for detention and to permit a normal criminal defense.
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April 10, 2008 :: admin :: One Comment
10 April :: ABC News reported yesterday that “In dozens of top-secret talks and meetings in the White House, the most senior Bush administration officials discussed and approved specific details of how high-value al Qaeda suspects would be interrogated by the Central Intelligence Agency, sources tell ABC News”; Rice chaired the meetings, as National Security […]
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March 8, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
8 March :: US pres. George W. Bush has vetoed legislation that would have barred the CIA from using harsh interrogation techniques classed by critics as torture, such as “waterboarding”, a form of simulated drowning; the New York Times reports the veto is affirmation of Bush’s “legacy” as jealous defender of expanded executive power: “The […]
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February 14, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
14 February :: Record-high grain prices will cause an untenable 35% minimum increase in poor nations’ expenditures for cereals imports through July 2008, reports UN Food and Agriculture Organization; prices have increased rapidly due to record oil prices, dramatic deterioration of arable land in China — turning world’s most populous nation into net importer of […]
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February 7, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
7 February :: Bush spokesman says “waterboarding” is legal, may be authorized for use at any time, “under certain circumstances”; critics express disbelief, as two recent laws, Supreme Court ruling clearly bar use of abusive interrogation techniques; according to the LA Times “The technique has been traced to the Spanish Inquisition and has been the […]
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January 2, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
2 January :: Crude oil prices hit record $100, before falling to $99, amid claims of high demand, violence in oil producing countries, driving prices higher; the rapidly weakening dollar is also considered to be a factor in the rising prices… US Justice Dept. launches criminal probe of CIA destruction of hundreds of hours of […]
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December 22, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
22 December :: The two chairmen of the investigatory commission for the 9/11 attacks, Lee Hamilton and Thomas Kean, have said their review of classified evidence suggests the CIA made a concerted effort to “impede” the inquiry by hiding evidence of abusive interrogation techniques; according to Reuters, “Among statements that the memo suggested were misleading […]
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December 17, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
17 December :: Michigan Republican Peter Hoekstra, ranking GOP member of the House intelligence committee, has said the committee will pursue its investigation of the CIA’s destruction of tapes of alleged torture; Hoekstra told the press it was important that there be accountability in the intelligence community, adding “The CIA did not tell us about […]
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December 12, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
12 December :: CIA director Hayden has said harsh interrogation techniques appearing on destroyed video tapes “reviewed and approved by the Department of Justice and by other elements of the Executive Branch”; he has briefed Senate intelligence committee, but said he was unable to answer all questions, because tapes were made under one predecessor and […]
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December 9, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
9 December :: LA Times reporting “The Justice Department and the CIA’s Office of the Inspector General said Saturday that they had launched a joint inquiry into the CIA’s controversial destruction of videotaped interrogations of two Al Qaeda suspects”; unnamed staffer for Senate judiciary committee said probes could lead to charges of obstruction of justice, […]
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December 7, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
7 December :: CIA has admitted it destroyed video tapes documenting interrogations critics have labeled torture; Senate judiciary committee chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said the destruction of the tapes, potential evidence, was “hidden away from accountability”, while ACLU National Security Project director told press “The destruction of these tapes suggests an utter disregard for the […]
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November 13, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
13 November :: New report by Congressional Joint Economic Committee says wars in Iraq, Afghanistan have already cost taxpayers $1.5 trillion over last 6 years, including long-term cost rises related to oil, veterans’ healthcare, borrowing… Bhutto again under house arrest, calls for Musharraf to resign office, form interim “coalition of interests” to govern in run-up […]
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November 1, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
1 November :: Spain’s top criminal court has sentenced masterminds of 11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings to more than 42,900 years each for mass murder; the Audiencia Nacional also ruled out definitively any involvement by Basque separatist group ETA, citing Islamist extremist conspiracy as proven by evidence… Sen. John McCain, a Republican presidential candidate, […]
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October 30, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
30 October :: US Dept. of Homeland Security has for 2nd time in 2 years detained, searched and interrogated Shahid Malik, the UK’s international development minister and its first Muslim cabinet minister; on both occasions, he had been in the US to meet with members of the Dept. of Homeland Security itself… Bloomberg reporting “Karbala […]
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October 25, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
25 October :: Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice admits to House human rights subcommittee that the US handling of the case of Maher Arar, was “by no means perfect, in fact it was quite imperfect”, adding “we do absolutely not want to transfer anyone to a place where they might be tortured”; Arar is a […]
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October 19, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
19 October :: US att. gen. nominee Mukasey has told Senate panel he believes so-called ‘unlawful combatants’ are not entitled to Geneva Conventions protections, a view contravened by existing law and jurisprudence; US Supreme Court has already ruled the Conventions govern US treatment of prisoners, not which prisoners enjoy protections; HRW reports “In Hamdan v. […]
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October 5, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
5 October :: House and Senate judiciary committees have ordered Justice Dept. to turn over legal opinions on harsh interrogation techniques, alleging the Department’s lawyers, who had in 2004 found torture “abhorrent” had in 2005 “reversed themselves and reinstated a secret regime, in essence reinterpreting the law in secret”; White House spokesman says “The policy […]
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