Bill Moyers Journal: Detainee 063 Update
By Nicole Belle Friday May 16, 2008 11:00am
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Bill Moyers provides an update to the segment offered last week on torture and detainees in the War on Terror™. Mohammed al-Qahtani--long held up as the 20th hijacker on 9/11--was released from Guantanamo without prejudice after more than six years of imprisonment and torture.
"Mr al-Qahtani never made a single statement that was not extracted through torture or the threat of torture," the Centre for Constitutional Rights, which represented al-Qahtani, said.
Mohammed al-Qahtani was one of the six terrorism suspects for whom the Defense Department had famously sought the death penalty in an attempt to look tough (or at least, competent) in prosecuting terrorists. However, it appears that since the government's case rested largely on "confessions" achieved through torture, and thankfully, justice has not been perverted by this administration enough to convict them solely on those extracted confessions.
This is an excellent time to let you know that next week, I'll be participating in a week-long symposium focusing on torture with other bloggers to celebrate the relaunch of the ACLU Blog of Rights.
Transcript below the fold
BILL MOYERS: Now I want to update some of the stories we've been reporting over recent weeks.
You'll recall that last week I interviewed the international lawyer Philippe Sands. He had just testified in Congress about his book TORTURE TEAM. The book is based on his conversations with the Bush administration insiders responsible for the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" - torture - on detainees at Guantanamo. Sands mentioned in particular Detainee 063 - Mohammed al-Qahtani....suspected of being the missing "20th hijacker" in the 9/11 attacks. The administration offered al-Qahtani as proof that coercion works, and the White House said he had provided "valuable intelligence." But Sands knew differently...
PHILIPPE SANDS: I do have actual information on Detainee 063. I spent time, as I describe in the book, with the head of Mohammed al-Qahtani's exploitation team. And the bottom line of it was, contrary to what the administration said, they got nothing out of him.
BILL MOYERS: This week, after al-Qahtani had been in confinement for over six years, the charges against him were dismissed "without prejudice" by the presiding authority for military commissions. No reason was given, but it's being speculated that the evidence obtained by al-Qahtani's torture would not stand up in court. This is just one reason, many people argue that such trials should be more open and moved out of the military courts. In the meantime, Philippe Sands has written an incisive essay on these events of the week. We've posted it on our web site at pbs.org.
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Yes, we tape Moyers's show, it is a constant enlightenment for us. His show is wonderfully informative, and can't say enough about Bill Moyers, the man.
We could use a gazillion more of him right now.
It still astonishes me that torture and incidences of torture are a part of our domestic discussion. My worry is that although we need to expose and cover it, that we become accustomed to these actions, that it becomes less shocking.
I hope we'll hear about the symposium.
As it turns out, it's illegal for any American, anywhere, to torture people....for any reason. That's right - even if you say you're protecting us from the boogeyman, it's still illegal. Even if you did it at Gitmo, and not on US soil.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/usc_sec_18_00002340---A000-.html
§ 2340A. Torture
(a) Offense.— Whoever outside the United States commits or attempts to commit torture shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both, and if death results to any person from conduct prohibited by this subsection, shall be punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life.
(b) Jurisdiction.— There is jurisdiction over the activity prohibited in subsection (a) if—
(1) the alleged offender is a national of the United States; or
(2) the alleged offender is present in the United States, irrespective of the nationality of the victim or alleged offender.
(c) Conspiracy.— A person who conspires to commit an offense under this section shall be subject to the same penalties (other than the penalty of death) as the penalties prescribed for the offense, the commission of which was the object of the conspiracy.
So, you see - it's going to be rather difficult to have even a mockery of a showtrial, because the end result could be 20 years in Levenworth for the guys who actually did the torturing. It's the death penalty if you killed a guy while torturing him.
Little wonder they're trying to frame the debate as to weather or not water-boarding is torture. That keeps people from asking too many difficult questions about the stuff that they did that was way worse.
And what if they had gotten "something" out of him? It would still be inhumane and abominable.
Thats the way to get these bastards. We'll symposium the crap out of them!
"The confession of the accused is a medieval principle of jurisprudence."
Nikolai Bukharin 1938
According to Scalia, torture is okay so long as it isn't "punishment". Since the guy wasn't guilty of anything, he therefore wasn't being "punished", so the system works!
If you're still out there Josef Mengele, apparently you can consider yourself welcome here in the good ol' USA. It's just a pity Scalia wasn't around for the Nuremburg trials.
Have a Nice Uday!
Let's go back to the water trial. If they drown they are innocent. If they float they are a witch. Simple enough.
Looks like Ted Kennedy is down. I hope there is another "Jim Webb" out there.
The USA is a great example of a "rouge nation", being mislead by a "criminal regime".
Six years in prison. Absolutely no rights. Tortured. AND THEN RELEASED? Someone need to be held accountable for this un-American situation.
Well if he wasn't a terrorist before he probably is now.
I know if I lost 6 years of my life to being tortured I would be thinking about revenge.
Good job USA!
"A Cry In The Wilderness". That's what Bill Moyer's shows are about. America has allowed thugs and liars to steal away our society while the 28% Koolaide Drinkers set in front of their tv watching The Simpsons and American Idol. We are the laughing stock of the civilized world.
Fox news just doesn't get it. someone please try again to tell them THEY ARE TRAITORS AND WILL BE HUNG!!!!!!!!!
Szin @ 12:
I do'nt think many people would resort to something that is fundamentally against their nature..
Just a point-he wasn't released. According to the Bush bully-boys, just because you're innocent doesn't mean you get to go free.
Charges against him were dismissed "without prejudice", but the Pentagon claims the right to reinstate them at any time and to keep holding him at Guantánamo.
Good point Bronco. I came here to point out the same thing, but I read all the comments first. I wish the link wouldn't have said "released".
bushisaliar @ 15:
Oh really? You must be wired up way different than me then. Anybody who knows me will tell you I'm the easygoing-est guy in the world, but if some bunch of jackboot cocksuckers threw me in jail and tortured me for six years you can bet your bottom dollar I'd make the motherfuckers pay when I got out, one way or another.
K, now that I'm here I want to ask of others... has anybody else had a hard time watching media files here at C & L? Is it a bandwidth problem of the site, as in too many people trying to watch at once? Sometimes I get only 15-20 seconds in before it stops to 'buffer'. I have a fast broadband connection so I know it's not on my end. This just started lately too. Answers, anybody??
The msm saturated the airwaves with Rev. Wright for six weeks, yet this shows up as a blip.
Yes, Kahtani was not released from Guantanamo, nor will he be. You should get the facts straight. This may be just a procedural maneuver on the part of the Pentagon prosecutors involved.
And while it does raise questions about the competence of the Pentagon officials handling this, and whether the use of torture may have corrupted their ability to prosecute him, it should also be remembered that there is plenty of circumstantial evidence implicating Kahtani, per The 9/11 Commission Report. Indeed, the report confirmed that Mohammed Atta was waiting at the Orlando International Airport to pick Kahtani up when he arrived in the US, just weeks before the attacks. He arrived on a one-way ticket from Saudi Arabia, just like most of the other "muscle" hijackers, and was ultimately sent packing back home by an alert customs agent because he was behaving in such a belligerent and menacing way (the guy couldn't even make it through the customs line!)
Here's some more info to put it all in context:
www.asecondlookatthesaudis.com
So while there seems plenty reason to blame the administration for yet another example of their gross incompetence here, there's really no reason to shed any tears over Kahtani. He is not an innocent victim.
Bill B. @ 21:
That's suppose to justify torture HOW? Because he possibly might have been a hijacker for 911? No, NO, NO I am sorry, but NOTHING, absolutely FUCKING NOTHING, justifies torture!!!
Charge them or let them go . These fascist do what they do for one reason , they can get away with it and now they are building a NEW prison in Afghanistan , not to mention the several in Iraq and else where .
NOBODY is holding these criminals ACCOUNTABLE , not the so called opposition party , not the media , they just keep funding these war crimes , year after year after year .
CBS propaganda won't mention these issues , but they sure have enough time for driving cars across the nation to tell us about seniors going to a damn prom or wasting gas and oil with two cars driving across America , telling us crap we already know , we have high gas prices and high oil prices .
Alex Jones is correct and is ahead of his time , we are living on a prison planet and it's getting worst everyday .
Moyers: 'Democracy in America Is a Series of Narrow Escapes, and We May Be Running Out of Luck'
http://www.alternet.org/democracy/85521/
I have been lucky enough to spend my adult life as a journalist, acquiring a priceless education in the ways of the world, actually getting paid to practice one of my craft's essential imperatives: connect the dots.
The conclusion that we are in trouble is unavoidable.
Kahoneez @ 23:
Totally agree. I can understand why corporate powers don't speak out more forcefully, they benefit and profit from war, but I don't get why sites like Daily Kos and Huffington Post hold themselves back or censor themselves. Advertising dollars must be more powerful than we thought?? Or people are just scared of the reality. The corporations control almost everything in our country. the Gov't, Military, Media, Voting Machines, Currency, Economy, everything. If the internet doesn't save us and soon, we are all going to be relatively isolated on a truly corporate owned Prison Planet. The Infowar is real and necessary.
I never miss BMJ and anyone that craves good political commentary or insight won't either.
They fight so hard for the right to torture people for "the good of the country", but I suspect it's because torture gives these guys a woody, plain and simple. They like to hear the stories, the jokes, as they stand around with big fat cigars and big fat egos, drinking and acting like they are dangerous men. Perhaps the only way they can " get off ", is by tormenting someone. So as you can see the problem is that the terrorist just did not know the "safe word". CEO
Any bets on how long it would take to break Bush,Cheney, Rove or any of the other sycophants that fester in the Bush Administration?
CEO,citizens,eyes,open @ 27:
Several studies show that authoritarians are cowardly, overly aggressive bullies.
Look up Bob Altemeyer's; The Authoritarians. It will explain the mentality of those subhuman Neocons very well.
It's a forty year study of Authoritarian behavior. It's rather frightening to read because you'll see that mentally dysfunctional, amoral people have taken over this country.
Some of these people should go to the world court and bring charges against Bush and Cheney. I wish to see these two idiots be afraid to travel outside the US.
Listening to Bill Moyers is torture enough.
bronco214 @ 16:
It's similar to Administrative Detention.
It's common practice under military law. Israel, for example, does the same in the West Bank and Gaza. If any government agent (e.g. soldier, police officer, Shabak (Israel's FBI)) deems a Palestinian a security threat for whatever reason, they can throw them in jail for six months without charges, without having to get a warrant from a judge or having to answer to anyone. They pick you up and throw you in a cell under Administrative Detention. The British used that in the Middle East before 1948 and Israel picked up the practice.
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