Archive for June, 2008

US, finally, is prosecuting some of the 9/11 suspects, detained in Guantanamo Bay but the saddest part is, it is prosecuting 5 alleged suspects before military court and whatever the outcome is, they will be held and will be treated as enemy soldiers.
US says they are responsible for 9/11 attacks and as evidence, they have produced some evidences which were gathered using various tortures like water-boarding etc.
The US always says they stand for democracy and human rights, no matter what circumstances or situation are. For many HR activists and countries, US is beacon of hope for HR. But this case proves that they too are no different than N. Korea or Iran, when it comes to their own interest. So why to play band proclaiming self as the only protector and promoter of Human Rights.
All the evidences against the accused are obtained using various tortures form like water-boarding (a form of torture that consists of immobilizing a person on their back with the head inclined downward and pouring water over the face and into the breathing passages. Through forced suffocation and inhalation of water, the subject experiences the process of drowning and is made to believe that death is imminent.), prolonged isolation, prolonged sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation, extremely painful “stress positions,” sensory bombardment (such as prolonged loud noise and/or bright lights), forced nakedness, sexual humiliation, cultural humiliation (such as desecration of holy scriptures), being subjected to extreme cold that induces hypothermia, exploitation of phobias etc.
Such evidences would have never found its place in US civil court, but with Military Commission Act of 2006, such techniques have found a way to crawl inside the justice. Even the experts are pointing out that, evidences gathered by using such techniques are unreliable and cannot be accepted. But Mr. Bush is determined to hand over death penalty to the alleged masterminds.
Even if the court finds alleged innocent, they won’t be freed. They will be detained for their life time and this is how the US Justice would feel the change.
How could a civilized country can accept use of such tortures? And if they accept it, then why they have problem when other countries use it? Why they term Hitler, a monster for using very same techniques and killing millions of people whereas they are also following same steps? For Hitler, Jews were not good enough to be humans and wanted to erase them. For US inmates in Guantanamo Bay are same, like Jews were for Hitler.
I am not saying here they are innocent. They might be very dangerous like US claims them to be. But at least, US can follow the justice system that it feels proud about and not promote use of torture of any form. Aren’t there other ways to get information? The guilty should be punished but that doesn’t mean punishing everyone suspected to be guilty.
But history suggest whatever US does is right and when other do, it’s crime. Look how stupidly US justice and US HR policy runs. When Saddam Hussein kills thousands of Kurds, it’s crime against humanity. When US soldiers erase whole village including innocent babies and women, then it’s not crime against humanity. No country can prosecute US soldiers for such crimes. And US just prosecute them in their own way.
This is how the US justice runs. Instead of being proud of their justice, they should be ashamed. With the US Presidential Election around the corner, Bush is trying hard to close this chapter before another President closes it. He wants some outcome which might help John McCain to win the US race.
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down an earlier system as unconstitutional in 2006, and is to rule this month on the rights of Guantanamo prisoners, potentially delaying or halting the proceedings.