Gobal Prison Network

national | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis

Tuesday April 19, 2005 15:18

by barra

aranu21 at hotmail dot com

wicklow

0876218431

US federal goverment/military uses thrid world countries to hide its human rights abuses

“Accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive and judiciary, in the same hands may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny”
Madison concludes after Americans were arbitrarily arrested and detained without trial by British forces.

In July 2004 the U.S. supreme court ruled that the federal court in Washington had jurisdiction to hear the case that would decide if the Cuban detentions were in violation of the U.S. constitution, its laws or treaties. Defence lawyers described the military commissions as unethical and federal judges ruled that they were illegal. Guantanamo bay bogged down in domestic lawsuits lost its practicality. So a global prison network built up over the previous three years took up the slack.

U.S. military has commandeered foreign jails, built cellblocks at U.S. military bases and established covert CIA bases that can be located almost anywhere, from an apartment block to a transport containers. The network has no visible infrastructure – no prison rolls, visitor rosters, staff lists complaints procedures (hence the name ghost detainees). Suspects are being contained in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Egypt, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Afghanistan. All host countries are renowned for their poor human rights records.

Robert Baer, a CIA case officer in the Middle East until 1997, told reporters that “We pick up a suspect or we arrange for one of our partner countries to do it. Then the suspect is placed on civilian transport to a third world country where, let’s make no bones about it they use torture. If you want a good interrogation send them to Jordan. If you want them dead send them to Egypt or Syria. Either way, the U.S. cannot be blamed for doing the heavy work.”

US detention systems are closed to outside observers making it impossible to test the truth of many allegations of shackles, sexual humiliation, starvation, mock executions, whips… the list of allegations goes on. Any body who gets in the way of prisoner transport will be met with brutal force as is clearly demonstrated in Afghanistan on a regular basis (just analysis the mainstream news with a open mind free of military conditioning).

The roots of the prison network can be traced back to legal wrangles that began soon after terror suspects were rounded up just weeks after 9/11 attacks. On November 13 2001, George Bush signed an order to establish military commissions to try “enemy belligerents” who commit war crimes. At such a commission, a foreign war criminal would have no choice over his defence counsel, no right to know the evidence against him, no way of obtaining any evidence in his favour and no right of attorney- client confidentiality.

In the UK, a similar process began unfolding. In December 2001, then home secretary David Blunkett withdrew Britain from its obligation under the European human rights treaty not to detain anyone without trial; on December 18, the Anti-terrorism, crime and security act was passed, extending the governments powers of arrest and detention. Subsequently the Foreign Office subtly modified internal guidance to diplomats, enabling them to use intelligence obtained though torture.

In Ireland today people are aware of many of these abuses, the problem is not of blissful ignorance but we detach ourselves from fellow human beings not because we do not care but because they are just cold facts to us and we have no emotional connection with them, therefore we do not act to change the situation just observe with words of sympathy and do nothing. We cannot afford to see things in black and white anymore (America evil, left good).

As the last protest against US war in Iraq has shown there are people out there who organise these protests with more of a concern for there own political ambitions than genuine concerns for victims of nationalism (including dead and wounded brainwashed US troops) and big business. The only way we can do this is by people using their own creative thinking process to empower themselves and make the connection to the world around them and not see it in abstract terms.

That is why the protest a the Berkley Court hotel six months ago against “janes less lethal weapons conference” was so important, because these weapons are used for torture and abuses against human rights. All these things are connected and its just a matter if can link to dots and explain to people why civil disobedience is important to protect civil liberties

“Activism is my rent for living on the planet”
above quote by Alice Walker

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