Legality of Bush Torture Techniques
Starting no later than August 2003, the Bush Administration’s CIA employed ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ on detained suspected terrorists that included, but were not limited to; beating, waterboarding, beating with collar, exposure to extreme heat, exposure to extreme cold, forced nudity, sleep deprivation, denial of solid food, placement in claustrophobic situations, exposure to insects, exposure to unpleasant substances, threatening, sexual harassment and sexual commentary of a derogatory nature, religious commentary of a derogatory nature, personal commentary of a derogatory nature, stress standing, and threats. These techniques were authorized for use by Justice Department lawyers, and most, if not all, top level Bush Administration officials knew of the use of these techniques. These ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ are illegal, were known to be illegal by those who authorized them, and have caused and will cause many negative ramifications in the United States and around the world.
The techniques authorized for CIA use at detention centers like Gitmo at Guantanamo Bay, Bogram Air Base in Afganistan, and Abu Ghraib in Iraq include many different illegal techniques. Waterboarding alone is illegal under many international treaties and agreements. The ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ are illegal under the Geneva Conventions Against Torture, the Torture Act, the Detainee Treatment Act, and Article eight of the US Bill of Rights (and the manner in which they are carried out is against articles five and six). The United States has agreed to act lawfully under those treaties and laws along with several other countries. So, the techniques that are known to have been authorized and employed in the United States are illegal under both national and international law and break several key wartime treaties. Looking at past precedent, the United States successfully prosecuted Japanese soldiers who authorized and employed similar techniques, most notably waterboarding, after World War II. The other part of the use of these techniques that constitutes as an illegal act is the time when Congress what notified about their employment. There still is debate about when and how sufficiently Congress was informed, and, depending on the outcome of the debates, the information could constitute another legal charge.
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The techniques authorized for CIA use at detention centers like Gitmo at Guantanamo Bay, Bogram Air Base in Afganistan, and Abu Ghraib in Iraq include many different illegal techniques. Waterboarding alone is illegal under many international treaties and agreements. The ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ are illegal under the Geneva Conventions Against Torture, the Torture Act, the Detainee Treatment Act, and Article eight of the US Bill of Rights (and the manner in which they are carried out is against articles five and six). The United States has agreed to act lawfully under those treaties and laws along with several other countries. So, the techniques that are known to have been authorized and employed in the United States are illegal under both national and international law and break several key wartime treaties. Looking at past precedent, the United States successfully prosecuted Japanese soldiers who authorized and employed similar techniques, most notably waterboarding, after World War II. The other part of the use of these techniques that constitutes as an illegal act is the time when Congress what notified about their employment. There still is debate about when and how sufficiently Congress was informed, and, depending on the outcome of the debates, the information could constitute another legal charge.
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