While over here in America we are still debating whether to use the word "torture" or, "harsh interrogation technique", some of the judges in overseeing terrorism cases in Great Britain are coming to their senses. In the case of Binyam Mohamed, judges have ordered formerly blacked-out documents released. And what's contained in them is disturbing.
UK government suppressed evidence on Binyam Mohamed torture because MI6 helped his interrogators
Material in a CIA dossier on Mr Mohamed that was blacked out by High Court judges contained details of how British intelligence officers supplied information to his captors and contributed questions while he was brutally tortured, The Sunday Telegraph has learned.
Intelligence sources have revealed that spy chiefs put pressure on Mr Miliband to do nothing that would leave serving MI6 officers open to prosecution, or to jeopardise relations with the CIA, which is passing them "top notch" information on British terrorist suspects from its own informers in Britain.
Mr Mohamed, 30, an Ethiopian, was granted refugee status in Britain in 1994. He was picked up in Pakistan in 2002 on suspicion of involvement in terrorism, rendered to Morocco and Afghanistan, tortured and then sent to Guantanamo Bay in 2004. All terror charges against him were dropped last year.
So what's so disturbing in these CIA dossier -- the man being tortured had his genitalia sliced with a scapel, and CIA, along with the MI6, knew this and still supplied informatin to each other as well as submit questions during Mohamed's ordeal.
A British official, who is regularly briefed on intelligence operations, said: "The concern was that the document revealed that intelligence from the British agencies was used by the Americans and that there were British questions asked while Binyam Mohamed was being tortured.
"Miliband is being pushed hard by the intelligence agencies to protect the identity of those involved."
The 25 lines edited out of the court papers contained details of how Mr Mohamed's genitals were sliced with a scalpel and other torture methods so extreme that waterboarding, the controversial technique of simulated drowning, "is very far down the list of things they did," the official said
This is a perfect case for President Obama to review and realize that it is not enough to just say your administration won't do what the last one did. These type of cases must have light shed on them by President Obama himself. He has a chance to have transformative administration, but we must first admit our wrongdoing. Torture is not a policy, it is a crime. And President Obama must not allow the conversation to drift into torure being considered a policy debate.
We must be more proactively working towards a goal, as less pre-emptively anticipating using force. The US must start helping other nations lift there people out of poverty. That way, they are less swayed by money that al-Qaeda and other terrorist group waive in their face. I know that there is alot more to terrorism, but reducing poverty around the world goes along way to keeping terrorist groups from being able to use people's misery, and disgust of their lot in life, to further their ambitions.