Archiv: Guantanamo


28.08.2024 - 14:04 [ Daniel Neun / Radio Utopie ]

Die “Authorization For Use of Military Force” vom 14. September 2001 im Wortlaut

(29. August 2014)

Seit Beginn des weltweiten Terrorkrieges in 2001 herrschten in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika zwei Personen als Kriegspräsidenten und “mächtigste Männer der Welt”, George Bush Junior und Barack Obama. Der Kern ihrer Legitimation für

– fast jede seit dem 14. September 2001 angeordnete militärische Aktion, Operation und Invasion, wie der Eroberung von Afghanistan (2001), Irak (2003), Libyen (2011), Luftangriffen bzw Bodenoperationen z.B. in Somalia, Jemen, Pakistan, Kenia, etc, etc, pp,

– den versuchten Aufbau einer “Totalen Informationskenntnis” (“Total Information Awareness”) über alle Menschen, Gruppen, Strömungen und Organisationen im Macht- bzw Einflussbereich der U.S.A. (also dem, was die Gesellschaft heute als “Totalüberwachung” versteht),

– die folgende Erschaffung eines informationstechnologischen, Privatleben fressenden Frankensteins, eines weltweit vernetzten Golem der “Nationalen Sicherheit AG” bzw dem “sicherheitsindustriellen Komplex”, der allein 800.000 Personen (Stand: 2010) Zugang zu “streng geheimen” Informationen und damit Zugang zu praktisch allen u.a. aus Telekommunikationssystemen wie dem Internet gesammelten bzw geraubten Daten von Bürgerinnen und Bürgern in ungezählten Datenbanken und Tauschbörsen der Spione, Militärs und (Geheim)Polizeien und Behörden allein in den U.S.A. gibt, samt einer bis heute nicht verifizierten Zahl assoziierter Kräfte und Stellen, z.B. in der Republik Deutschland,

– die Errichtung des Lagers Guantanamo, sowie einer unbekannten Zahl geheimer Folterkammern und Kerker auf eigenem Territorium, in Besatzungszonen und / oder in kollaborierenden Staaten, in denen Menschen willkürlich eingesperrt, gequält oder ermordet wurden,

sowie weitere offene oder klandestine Maßnahmen, wie z.B. die “Uminterpretation” von geltendem Recht zu faktischem geheimen Kriegsrecht in ungezählten Staaten, ist ein am 14. September 2001 bei alleiniger Gegenstimme von Barbara Lee durch den Kongress gejagter und, zumindest in der Geschichte der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika, präzedenzloser Gesetzestext: die “Authorization for Use of Military Force”.

Hier dessen gerade einmal 60 Worte und keinerlei zeitliche oder räumliche Einschränkung enthaltende Wirkungstext, beschlossen am 14.09.2001 von beiden Kammern des Kongresses, Repräsentantenhaus und Senat:

17.01.2024 - 20:32 [ Daniel Neun / Radio Utopie ]

Die “Authorization For Use of Military Force” vom 14. September 2001 im Wortlaut

(29. August 2014)

Seit Beginn des weltweiten Terrorkrieges in 2001 herrschten in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika zwei Personen als Kriegspräsidenten und “mächtigste Männer der Welt”, George Bush Junior und Barack Obama. Der Kern ihrer Legitimation für

– fast jede seit dem 14. September 2001 angeordnete militärische Aktion, Operation und Invasion, wie der Eroberung von Afghanistan (2001), Irak (2003), Libyen (2011), Luftangriffen bzw Bodenoperationen z.B. in Somalia, Jemen, Pakistan, Kenia, etc, etc, pp,

– den versuchten Aufbau einer “Totalen Informationskenntnis” (“Total Information Awareness”) über alle Menschen, Gruppen, Strömungen und Organisationen im Macht- bzw Einflussbereich der U.S.A. (also dem, was die Gesellschaft heute als “Totalüberwachung” versteht),

– die folgende Erschaffung eines informationstechnologischen, Privatleben fressenden Frankensteins, eines weltweit vernetzten Golem der “Nationalen Sicherheit AG” bzw dem “sicherheitsindustriellen Komplex”, der allein 800.000 Personen (Stand: 2010) Zugang zu “streng geheimen” Informationen und damit Zugang zu praktisch allen u.a. aus Telekommunikationssystemen wie dem Internet gesammelten bzw geraubten Daten von Bürgerinnen und Bürgern in ungezählten Datenbanken und Tauschbörsen der Spione, Militärs und (Geheim)Polizeien und Behörden allein in den U.S.A. gibt, samt einer bis heute nicht verifizierten Zahl assoziierter Kräfte und Stellen, z.B. in der Republik Deutschland,

– die Errichtung des Lagers Guantanamo, sowie einer unbekannten Zahl geheimer Folterkammern und Kerker auf eigenem Territorium, in Besatzungszonen und / oder in kollaborierenden Staaten, in denen Menschen willkürlich eingesperrt, gequält oder ermordet wurden,

sowie weitere offene oder klandestine Maßnahmen, wie z.B. die “Uminterpretation” von geltendem Recht zu faktischem geheimen Kriegsrecht in ungezählten Staaten, ist ein am 14. September 2001 bei alleiniger Gegenstimme von Barbara Lee durch den Kongress gejagter und, zumindest in der Geschichte der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika, präzedenzloser Gesetzestext: die “Authorization for Use of Military Force”.

Hier dessen gerade einmal 60 Worte und keinerlei zeitliche oder räumliche Einschränkung enthaltende Wirkungstext, beschlossen am 14.09.2001 von beiden Kammern des Kongresses, Repräsentantenhaus und Senat:

17.01.2024 - 20:21 [ Buzzfeed.com ]

60 Words And A War Without End: The Untold Story Of The Most Dangerous Sentence In U.S. History

(Jan 17, 2014)

By the end of the meeting, it was clear that this was the resolution, a single sentence and 60 words:

That the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.

That was it. After more than a day of negotiations between the White House and Congress, Republicans and Democrats, this is what had emerged. Congress could take it or leave it. There would be no going back to the drawing board.

11.09.2023 - 19:21 [ Daniel Neun / Radio Utopie ]

DER 11. SEPTEMBER: Duplikat, Drone, Plan

(12. September 2014)

Bereits vor Jahrzehnten entwickelte das Militär der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika den Plan ein eigenes ziviles Passagierflugzeug in der Luft gegen eine unbemannte „Drone“ auszutauschen, um diese dann selbst zur Explosion zu bringen und einen Abschuss vorzutäuschen. Ebenso wurde der Plan einer „Terrorkampagne“ in der eigenen Hauptstadt Washington, sowie die Versenkung eines US-Kriegsschiffes autorisiert. Ziel war es, diese Vorfälle einer feindlichen Macht zu unterstellen, vor der Weltöffentlichkeit das Opfer zu spielen und nachfolgend eine Invasion starten zu können.

Jahr der Entwicklung des Plans: 1962. Zielobjekt: Kuba.

11.09.2023 - 19:15 [ Archive.org ]

Operation Northwoods

(March 13, 1962)

c. Commence large scale United States military operations.
3. A „Remember the Maine“ incident could be arranged in several forms:
a. We could blow up a US ship in Guantanamo Bay and blame Cuba.
b. We could blow up a drone (unmanned) vessel anywhere in the Cuban waters. We could arrange to cause such incident in the vicinity of Havana or Santiago as a spectacular result of Cuban attack from the air or sea, or both. The presence of Cuban planes or ships merely investigating the intent of the vessel could be fairly compelling evidence that the ship was taken under attack. The nearness to Havana or Santiago would add credibility especially to those people that might have heard the blast or have seen the fire. The US could follow up with an air/sea rescue operation covered by US fighters to „evacuate“ remaining members of the non-existent crew. Casualty lists in US newspapers would cause a helpful wave of national indignation.
4. We could develop a Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities and even in Washington.

The terror campaign could be pointed at refugees seeking haven in the United States. We could sink a boatload of Cubans en route to Florida (real or simulated). We could foster attempts on lives of Cuban refugees in the United States even to the extent of wounding in instances to be widely publicized. Exploding a few plastic bombs in carefully chosen spots, the arrest of Cuban agents and the release of prepared documents substantiating Cuban involvement, also would be helpful in projecting the idea of an irresponsible government.

11.09.2023 - 19:11 [ New York Times ]

Declassified Papers Show Anti-Castro Ideas Proposed to Kennedy

(19. November 1997)

“We could blow up a US warship in Guantanamo Bay and blame Cuba,“ the memorandum said.

“We could develop a Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities and even in Washington,“ it continued. “The terror campaign could be pointed at Cuban refugees seeking haven in the United States. We could sink a boatload of Cubans enroute to Florida (real or simulated).“

The records show that on March 13, 1962, the Joint Chiefs of Staff endorsed these ideas as “suitable for planning purposes.“ No evidence exists that they were carried out.

28.02.2023 - 09:51 [ New York Times ]

Doctor Describes and Denounces C.I.A. Practice of ‘Rectal Feeding’ of Prisoners

(Feb. 24, 2023)

In December 2014, the Obama administration released a 500-page summary of a classified Senate study of the C.I.A.’s so-called black site program. It revealed the agency’s practice of using “rectal rehydration” and “rectal feeding” to punish prisoners.

At the time, the C.I.A. defended it as a sound medical procedure. The group Physicians for Human Rights then condemned the practice as “sexual assault masquerading as medical treatment.”

But this week the agency declined a request for a comment on the descriptions that were attributed to the C.I.A. in open court. Nor would an agency spokeswoman respond to Dr. Crosby’s testimony that Mr. Nashiri also told her that he was sodomized with a broom stick while the C.I.A. held him in a cell, nude with his wrists shackled above his head.

17.11.2022 - 11:38 [ Archive.org ]

Operation Northwoods

(March 13, 1962)

c. Commence large scale United States military operations.
3. A „Remember the Maine“ incident could be arranged in several forms:
a. We could blow up a US ship in Guantanamo Bay and blame Cuba.
b. We could blow up a drone (unmanned) vessel anywhere in the Cuban waters. We could arrange to cause such incident in the vicinity of Havana or Santiago as a spectacular result of Cuban attack from the air or sea, or both. The presence of Cuban planes or ships merely investigating the intent of the vessel could be fairly compelling evidence that the ship was taken under attack. The nearness to Havana or Santiago would add credibility especially to those people that might have heard the blast or have seen the fire. The US could follow up with an air/sea rescue operation covered by US fighters to „evacuate“ remaining members of the non-existent crew. Casualty lists in US newspapers would cause a helpful wave of national indignation.
4. We could develop a Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities and even in Washington.

The terror campaign could be pointed at refugees seeking haven in the United States. We could sink a boatload of Cubans en route to Florida (real or simulated). We could foster attempts on lives of Cuban refugees in the United States even to the extent of wounding in instances to be widely publicized. Exploding a few plastic bombs in carefully chosen spots, the arrest of Cuban agents and the release of prepared documents substantiating Cuban involvement, also would be helpful in projecting the idea of an irresponsible government.

17.11.2022 - 11:18 [ New York Times ]

Declassified Papers Show Anti-Castro Ideas Proposed to Kennedy

(19. November 1997)

“We could blow up a US warship in Guantanamo Bay and blame Cuba,“ the memorandum said.

“We could develop a Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities and even in Washington,“ it continued. “The terror campaign could be pointed at Cuban refugees seeking haven in the United States. We could sink a boatload of Cubans enroute to Florida (real or simulated).“

The records show that on March 13, 1962, the Joint Chiefs of Staff endorsed these ideas as “suitable for planning purposes.“ No evidence exists that they were carried out.

17.11.2022 - 11:09 [ PublicIntelligence.net ]

Operation Northwoods

(March 9, 2010)

Operation Northwoods was a plan circulated in the U.S. government in 1962 to stage false flag terrorist attacks inside the U.S. and abroad to provoke “military intervention in Cuba”. The plan called for Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or other operatives to commit genuine acts of terrorism in U.S. cities and elsewhere. These acts of terrorism were to be blamed on Cuba in order to create public support for a war against that nation, which had recently become communist under Fidel Castro. One part of the Operation Northwoods plan was to “develop a Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities and even in Washington.” The document was signed by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lyman Lemnitzer and reportedly presented to Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara on March 13, 1962.

The previously Top Secret document was originally made public on November 18, 1997, by the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Review Board, a U.S. federal agency overseeing the release of government records related to John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

20.04.2022 - 20:57 [ Zarah Sultana MP / Twitter ]

Julian Assange exposed US crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. That‘s why the US wants to punish him and send a message to all journalists: Expose the truth and you‘ll be made to regret it. Priti Patel must stand-up for freedom of speech and refuse his extradition.

11.09.2021 - 17:16 [ New York Times ]

Declassified Papers Show Anti-Castro Ideas Proposed to Kennedy

(19. November 1997)

“We could blow up a US warship in Guantanamo Bay and blame Cuba,“ the memorandum said.

“We could develop a Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities and even in Washington,“ it continued. “The terror campaign could be pointed at Cuban refugees seeking haven in the United States. We could sink a boatload of Cubans enroute to Florida (real or simulated).“

The records show that on March 13, 1962, the Joint Chiefs of Staff endorsed these ideas as “suitable for planning purposes.“ No evidence exists that they were carried out.

11.09.2021 - 17:12 [ smeggys.co.uk ]

Operation Northwoods

Operation Northwoods was a 1962 plan by the U.S. Department of Defense to stage acts of simulated or real terrorism on US soil and against U.S. interests and then put the blame of these acts on Cuba in order to generate U.S. public support for military action against the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. As part of the U.S. government‘s Operation Mongoose anti-Castro initiative, the plan, which was not implemented, called for various false flag actions, including simulated or real state-sponsored acts of terrorism on U.S. and Cuban soil. The plan was proposed by senior U.S. Department of Defense leaders, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lyman Louis Lemnitzer.

11.09.2021 - 17:08 [ Radio Utopie ]

DER 11. SEPTEMBER: Duplikat, Drone, Plan

(12. September 2014)

Bereits vor Jahrzehnten entwickelte das Militär der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika den Plan ein eigenes ziviles Passagierflugzeug in der Luft gegen eine unbemannte „Drone“ auszutauschen, um diese dann selbst zur Explosion zu bringen und einen Abschuss vorzutäuschen. Ebenso wurde der Plan einer „Terrorkampagne“ in der eigenen Hauptstadt Washington, sowie die Versenkung eines US-Kriegsschiffes autorisiert. Ziel war es, diese Vorfälle einer feindlichen Macht zu unterstellen, vor der Weltöffentlichkeit das Opfer zu spielen und nachfolgend eine Invasion starten zu können.

Jahr der Entwicklung des Plans: 1962. Zielobjekt: Kuba.

06.08.2021 - 08:29 [ theHill.com ]

House Democrats call on Biden to close Guantánamo ‚once and for all‘

The letter was organized by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Reps. David Price (D-N.C.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn). Among the co-signers are several committee chairmen, including Foreign Affairs Chairman Gregory Meek (D-N.Y.), Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.)

06.08.2021 - 08:22 [ CNN ]

He is one of only 39 detainees left at Guantanamo. Once tortured, prisoner‘s case is a test of larger political realities at play.

His quest for freedom is forcing the Biden administration to consider whether to release the 45-year-old man whose attorneys say is severely mentally ill battling schizophrenia, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his torture or seek to hold him indefinitely without charging him with a crime.

Al-Qahtani‘s case, experts say, stands as a litmus test for whether President Joe Biden is committed to his pledge to shutter the controversial facility — an enduring symbol of the George W. Bush administration‘s global „war on terror“ that persisted through the Barack Obama and Donald Trump presidencies.

01.07.2021 - 18:08 [ Michael Ratner / CounterPunch ]

The War Crimes Case Against Donald Rumsfeld

With news of the belated death of Donald Rumsfeld, it’s vital that his true legacy of villainy be recalled. In the name of setting the historical record straight, here’s the late great Michael Ratner, making the unimpeachable case against Rumsfeld for his war crimes in Iraq.

This interview was conducted by the staff of Revolution and originally appeared in the November 26, 2008 edition of CounterPunch

30.04.2021 - 15:05 [ Al Jazeera ]

Guantanamo detainee Abu Zubaydah to file complaint with UN agency

A Guantanamo Bay inmate alleges he was tortured by his American captors after the September 11 attacks and will file a complaint with the United Nations over his unending 19-year detention, his lawyer has said.

26.04.2021 - 20:59 [ The Hill ]

Supreme Court to hear Guantanamo detainee‘s case

A federal district court previously sided with the government, who argued that that subpoenas risk revealing state secrets. But the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the information segregated so that the rest could potentially be released.

The Trump administration appealed that decision in December.

18.04.2021 - 22:55 [ Common Dreams ]

Two Dozen Senators Tell Biden It Is ‚Past Time‘ to Finally Close Guantánamo

Echoing recent demands from human rights advocates and former detainees, two dozens members of the U.S. Senate Democratic Caucus on Friday pressed President Joe Biden to finally close the Guantánamo Bay offshore military prison, where 40 men are still being held despite global outrage over the facility and its long record of torture.

02.03.2021 - 08:51 [ Portal amerika21.de ]

UN-Experten: Verbrechen der USA in Guantánamo auf Kuba müssen aufgeklärt werden

Sie nahmen Bezug auf die Ankündigung von US-Präsident Joe Biden, er „strebe die Schließung des Lagers bis zum Ende seiner Amtszeit an“. Der Nationale Sicherheitsrat des Weißen Haus leite dazu „eine umfassende Überprüfung“ ein, hatte seine Sprecherin Jen Psaki am 12. Februar erklärt.

27.02.2021 - 08:03 [ Commondreams.org ]

‚It Should Be Easier to Raise Minimum Wage Than to Drop Bombs on Syria‘: Progressives Fume at Biden

„We assassinate people by drone strike and have a literal prison colony in Guantanamo but where we draw the line is ignoring the Senate parliamentarian when [she] says no to a minimum wage hike.“

13.02.2021 - 08:27 [ CNN ]

Biden administration says it intends to close Guantanamo prison

Psaki said the National Security Council is undertaking an inter-agency review to „assess the state of play that the Biden administration has, that we‘ve inherited from the previous administration.“
Former President Barack Obama made a campaign promise in 2008 to close the facility by the end of his administration, which was never realized.

07.02.2021 - 16:20 [ Dr. Simon, PhD in Biotech / Twitter ]

8/: In Gitmo, prisoners were psychologically tortured by controlling sensory input leading to a dehumanization of the mask-wearer. Knowing that masks don’t halt the spread of the virus, we should ask ourselves why the whole world is eventually running around with that gag.

11.09.2020 - 15:51 [ Radio Utopie ]

DER 11. SEPTEMBER: Duplikat, Drone, Plan

(12. September 2014)

Bereits vor Jahrzehnten entwickelte das Militär der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika den Plan ein eigenes ziviles Passagierflugzeug in der Luft gegen eine unbemannte „Drone“ auszutauschen, um diese dann selbst zur Explosion zu bringen und einen Abschuss vorzutäuschen. Ebenso wurde der Plan einer „Terrorkampagne“ in der eigenen Hauptstadt Washington, sowie die Versenkung eines US-Kriegsschiffes autorisiert. Ziel war es, diese Vorfälle einer feindlichen Macht zu unterstellen, vor der Weltöffentlichkeit das Opfer zu spielen und nachfolgend eine Invasion starten zu können.

Jahr der Entwicklung des Plans: 1962. Zielobjekt: Kuba.

11.09.2020 - 15:44 [ smeggys.co.uk ]

Operation Northwoods

Operation Northwoods was a 1962 plan by the U.S. Department of Defense to stage acts of simulated or real terrorism on US soil and against U.S. interests and then put the blame of these acts on Cuba in order to generate U.S. public support for military action against the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. As part of the U.S. government‘s Operation Mongoose anti-Castro initiative, the plan, which was not implemented, called for various false flag actions, including simulated or real state-sponsored acts of terrorism on U.S. and Cuban soil. The plan was proposed by senior U.S. Department of Defense leaders, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lyman Louis Lemnitzer.

11.09.2020 - 15:41 [ New York Times ]

Declassified Papers Show Anti-Castro Ideas Proposed to Kennedy

(19. November 1997)

“We could blow up a US warship in Guantanamo Bay and blame Cuba,“ the memorandum said.

“We could develop a Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities and even in Washington,“ it continued. “The terror campaign could be pointed at Cuban refugees seeking haven in the United States. We could sink a boatload of Cubans enroute to Florida (real or simulated).“

The records show that on March 13, 1962, the Joint Chiefs of Staff endorsed these ideas as “suitable for planning purposes.“ No evidence exists that they were carried out.

21.08.2020 - 16:58 [ Jimmy Dore / Twitter ]

FYI: Constitution was „Shredded“ on 9-11, U now live in a 100% surveillance state, U have no right to privacy, U have no 4th Amendment protections, & the Democrats voted for it, and Obama/Biden renewed it! & then repealed Habeas Corpus!

22.02.2020 - 18:47 [ theIntercept.com ]

Intercepted Bonus: Inside the Secretive Court at Guantanamo Bay as CIA Torture Architect Testifies

During this hearing, the architect of the CIA’s torture program, Dr. James Mitchell, was brought to the war court as a witness. This was the first time that Mitchell appeared in open court. Williams describes her reporting trip, Mitchell’s testimony, and how the legacy of CIA torture has impacted the 9/11 case for nearly eight years.

21.02.2020 - 02:33 [ Marjorie Cohn / antikrieg.com ]

Die Auslieferung von Assange würde einen gefährlichen Präzedenzfall schaffen

Assanges Auslieferungsanhörung wird am 24. Februar im Londoner Gerichtssaal der Richterin Vanessa Baraitser beginnen. Mehr als 70 Rechtsanwälte und Rechtswissenschaftler sowie mindestens 12 ehemalige Staatsoberhäupter haben ein Schreiben unterzeichnet, das an den britischen Innenminister geschickt wird und in dem es heißt: „Die Tatsache, dass die Anklage nach dem Spionagegesetz erhoben wird, zeigt außerdem, dass es sich um ein rein politisches Vergehen handelt. Es besteht ein breiter internationaler Konsens darüber, dass solche Straftaten nicht der Auslieferung unterliegen sollten“.

20.02.2020 - 14:34 [ smeggys.co.uk ]

Operation Northwoods

Operation Northwoods was a 1962 plan by the U.S. Department of Defense to stage acts of simulated or real terrorism on US soil and against U.S. interests and then put the blame of these acts on Cuba in order to generate U.S. public support for military action against the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. As part of the U.S. government‘s Operation Mongoose anti-Castro initiative, the plan, which was not implemented, called for various false flag actions, including simulated or real state-sponsored acts of terrorism on U.S. and Cuban soil. The plan was proposed by senior U.S. Department of Defense leaders, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lyman Louis Lemnitzer.

01.02.2020 - 04:43 [ Philip M. Giraldi / antikrieg.com ]

Die Folterer und die ‚tickende Bombe‘: wie Folter zur Routine im globalen Krieg gegen den Terror wurde

Letzte Woche fand in einem Gerichtssaal in Guantanamo Bay eine Anhörung statt, bei der einer der Psychologen, die das Folterregime der Central Intelligence Agency entwickelt haben, unter Eid aussagte.

01.02.2020 - 04:40 [ Philip M. Giraldi / Strategic Culture Foundation ]

The Torturers and the ‘Ticking Bomb’: How Torture Became Routine in the Global War on Terror

Last week there was a hearing at a Guantanamo Bay courtroom in which one of the psychologists who devised the Central Intelligence Agency torture regime testified under oath.

24.01.2020 - 22:59 [ NPR.org ]

CIA Used Prisoner As ‚Training Prop‘ For Torture, Psychologist Testifies

She said six to eight CIA employees took part in al-Baluchi‘s interrogation session.

One employee „explained his role as a student doing on-the job training.“ Another said that before al-Baluchi‘s interrogation, he had felt he was falling behind „because he needed to practice interrogation techniques.“ Others said they were „trying to learn what they were doing and how to apply coercion.“ That‘s according to a classified CIA report, portions of which defense attorneys were permitted by the government to read in open court.

22.01.2020 - 06:20 [ Radio Utopie ]

„Theorien der gelernten Hilflosigkeit“

(25.8.2009)

Unterstützt bei ihren Folterungen wurde die CIA durch angeheuerte Firmen wie „Mitchell, Jessen & Associates“. Die Betreiber der Firma, die ex-Militär-Psychologen James Mitchell und Bruce Jessen, hatten für die CIA-Verhöre Techniken namens „Theorien der gelernten Hilflosigkeit“ empfohlen, welche sie durch den Missbrauch von Hunden entwickelt hatten. Die Firma umfasste im Jahre 2007 einhundertzwanzig „Mitarbeiter“ und soll die brutalsten Verhörmethoden entworfen haben. Der Vertrag mit den Folterpsychologen wurde von der Obama-Regierung verlängert, noch Wochen nach dem Amtsantritt. CIA-Chef Leon Panetta hatte sich explizit zu dieser Firma geäussert:

„Wir haben auch Geld in dem Deal gespart.“

„Mitchell, Jessen & Associates“ bekamen vom „Geheimdienst einer Demokratie“ CIA für ihre Mühen ein bescheidenes Salär von täglich 1000 Dollar. Einer der Angestellten von „Mitchell, Jessen & Associates“ war Deuce Martinez, ehemaliger CIA-Verhörer in den weltweiten Geheimgefängnissen, die bekannterweise ab 2003 aus Deutschland heraus organisiert wurden – angeblich ohne Wissen irgendeines der deutschen Geheimdienste oder der Berliner Regierung (eine Aufklärung der CIA-Affäre in Deutschland wird zur Zeit durch die „Parteien“ SPD, CDU, CSU und FDP aktiv sabotiert, ein Untersuchungsausschuss verweigert). Ein anderer Angestellter von „Mitchell, Jessen & Associates“ war Joseph Matarazzo, ehemals Vorsitzender „American Psychological Association“.

22.01.2020 - 06:11 [ New York Times ]

Architect of C.I.A. Interrogation Program Testifies at Guantánamo Bay

Dr. Mitchell, a former contract psychologist for the C.I.A., expressed no regrets or contrition, tearfully saying he did it for the American people at a time when President George W. Bush’s administration feared a follow-on attack by airplane or nuclear bomb to the Sept. 11 hijackings that killed 2,976 people.

“I’d get up today and do it again,” he said.

13.01.2020 - 16:32 [ Common Dreams ]

Human Rights Advocates Rally at White House to Demand US ‚Close Guantánamo and End Torture‘

In January 2018, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep the prison open. The move, which revoked an order from Trump‘s predecessor that called for the prison to be closed, outraged human rights defenders. With the demonstration Saturday, activists criticized not only Trump‘s decisions related to the prison but also those of former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.

13.01.2020 - 16:27 [ teleSUR ]

Human Rights Advocates Demonstrate, Demand Guantanamo’s Closure

As Jan. 11 marked the 18th anniversary of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp opening by the United States, human rights activists rallied Saturday outside the White House to demand the prison‘s immediate closure and an end to “years of torture and human rights violations.”

17.12.2019 - 03:05 [ Consortium News ]

JOHN KIRIAKOU: Those Torture Drawings in the NYT

The Times did its duty of reminding us what monsters the CIA produced in the early years of its so-called war on terror, people introduced to most Americans in the Senate’s torture report. These are people such as the CIA’s former Director George Tenet and Deputy Director John McLaughlin. They include unapologetic torture proponents such as former Deputy Director for Operations Jose Rodriguez and current CIA Director Gina Haspel. They are the creators of the torture program: psychologists James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen. And in the photos of Abu Zubaydah’s drawing that the Times ran, the CIA dutifully blacked out even the stick-figure sketches of the actual torturers, those CIA officers who sold their souls to break the law, all in honor of that false god called “national security.”

24.09.2019 - 02:31 [ WSWS ]

Department of Homeland Security counterterrorism strategy targets left-wing politics as „violent extremism“

The DHS’s identification of left-wing and oppositional political movements with violent extremism in the US is part of a growing international trend. The German Secret Service (Verfassungsschutz) has maintained a list of “left-wing extremist” groups as “objects of observation” by the state.

As is also the case in the US, all of the major parties of Germany’s ruling establishment have encouraged the development of extreme right-wing and neo-fascist political parties, the primary preoccupation of the state is the growth of support for socialist politics within the working class and among students.

11.09.2019 - 11:31 [ New York Times ]

Declassified Papers Show Anti-Castro Ideas Proposed to Kennedy

(19. November 1997)

“We could blow up a US warship in Guantanamo Bay and blame Cuba,“ the memorandum said.

“We could develop a Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities and even in Washington,“ it continued. “The terror campaign could be pointed at Cuban refugees seeking haven in the United States. We could sink a boatload of Cubans enroute to Florida (real or simulated).“

The records show that on March 13, 1962, the Joint Chiefs of Staff endorsed these ideas as “suitable for planning purposes.“ No evidence exists that they were carried out.

11.09.2019 - 11:22 [ smeggys.co.uk ]

Operation Northwoods

Operation Northwoods was a 1962 plan by the U.S. Department of Defense to stage acts of simulated or real terrorism on US soil and against U.S. interests and then put the blame of these acts on Cuba in order to generate U.S. public support for military action against the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. As part of the U.S. government‘s Operation Mongoose anti-Castro initiative, the plan, which was not implemented, called for various false flag actions, including simulated or real state-sponsored acts of terrorism on U.S. and Cuban soil. The plan was proposed by senior U.S. Department of Defense leaders, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lyman Louis Lemnitzer.

11.09.2019 - 11:18 [ Radio Utopie ]

DER 11. SEPTEMBER: Duplikat, Drone, Plan

(12. September 2014)

Bereits vor Jahrzehnten entwickelte das Militär der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika den Plan ein eigenes ziviles Passagierflugzeug in der Luft gegen eine unbemannte „Drone“ auszutauschen, um diese dann selbst zur Explosion zu bringen und einen Abschuss vorzutäuschen. Ebenso wurde der Plan einer „Terrorkampagne“ in der eigenen Hauptstadt Washington, sowie die Versenkung eines US-Kriegsschiffes autorisiert. Ziel war es, diese Vorfälle einer feindlichen Macht zu unterstellen, vor der Weltöffentlichkeit das Opfer zu spielen und nachfolgend eine Invasion starten zu können.

Jahr der Entwicklung des Plans: 1962. Zielobjekt: Kuba.

15.06.2019 - 11:03 [ Radio Utopie ]

13-jähriger Terrorkrieg: Die „Authorization For Use of Military Force“ vom 14. September 2001 im Wortlaut

(29.8.2014)

Die nach den Attentaten vom 11. September in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika dem Präsidenten vom Kongress persönlich ausgestellte Vollmacht, der ein nun fast dreizehn Jahre andauernder weltweiter Terrorkrieg a.k.a. „war on terror“ folgte, ist in Deutschland immer noch weithin unbekannt.

Radio Utopie dokumentiert dieses in jeder Hinsicht verheerende historische Ermächtigungsgesetz im Wortlaut.

29.04.2019 - 09:50 [ Zeit.de ]

Militär entlässt Kommandeur von Gefangenenlager Guantanamo

Konteradmiral John Ring sei seines Postens enthoben worden, sagte das US-Militär am Sonntag und begründete den Schritt mit der Aussage, dass man das Vertrauen in seine Fähigkeit verloren habe. Weitere Informationen zum Hintergrund der Maßnahme gab es nicht.

24.04.2019 - 15:45 [ New York Times ]

ICE Faces Migrant Detention Crunch as Border Chaos Spills Into Interior of the Country

In one initiative examined earlier this year, Department of Homeland Security officials looked at housing migrant children at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, which has a dormitory facility that has been used in the past to hold asylum seekers. The proposal to house migrant children from the Southwest border there has not gained traction, perhaps because of the optics of housing young people adjacent to terrorism suspects, according to one official who had seen the proposal but was not authorized to discuss it publicly.

24.04.2019 - 15:42 [ Independent.co.uk ]

US immigration officials looking at housing migrant children at Guantánamo Bay, report says

The New York Times reports that there are no “immediate” plans to actually bring children to Guantanamo Bay, and that the base has only been brought up as a potential housing location because it has dormitory facilities that have been used for asylum seekers in the past.

21.04.2019 - 13:06 [ Counterpunch.org ]

Is the American Psychological Association Addicted to Militarism and War?

With large segments of the American public so readily and regularly enticed by the bipartisan glorification of war and all things military, the world’s largest association of psychologists could play an important moderating and cautionary role. Unfortunately, the APA instead often acts like the “impaired professional” who is unable (or unwilling) to intervene because they too suffer from the same addiction. Here are several examples.

14.04.2019 - 20:54 [ WSWS ]

Deutsche Medien denunzieren Assange

Liest man die Kommentare der deutschen Medien über die Verhaftung von Julian Assange, kann man nur folgern, dass es um Demokratie und Pressefreiheit in Deutschland schlecht bestellt ist.