Terrorist suspects that are taken as prisoners are tortured physically and mentally in order for them to reveal crucial information about the attacks. This article explores into this matter and questions the authorities whether it is correct for them to persecute terrorist suspects (who might not even be true terrorists) even though they helped launch merciless attacks that destroy peace in the world. The article is clearly slanted in favour of the human rights of the prisoners, and asserts that the authorities misuse their indisputable power and wriggle out information out of prisoners using unethical means.
According to this article, CIA interrogators threatened an Al Qaeda prisoner with a gun and an electric drill. These unethical techniques to grill information out of a prisoner are illegal too. Apart from violating the law, these go against the basic human rights of an individual, whether he is a terrorist suspect or a CIA officer. There were many psychological tricks that the officers implemented to shake the prisoners mentally. They tried their best to squeeze out information without caring about the damage caused.
One disturbing piece of information that this article also gives is that there is no or hardly any action being taken against such brutal behaviour of the interrogators. Moreover, the news was hardly even known to the public. The information was revealed just about recently, after a concealing it long. Many cases of potential misconduct by interrogators were filed under the Justice Department. However, out of these, only one person was prosecuted, and two resigned before any action could be taken against them. This clearly shows the biased nature of the Justice Department. They wouldn’t take any concrete steps to combat the misbehavior of the interrogators, and would always put the matter off. There was never a clear answer given in the eve of this matter whenever involved officials were asked about it. There were vague ‘reaffirmations’, without substantial reliable information.
Of these prisoners, there might be only mere suspects who might not have anything to do with the terrorist activities. Despite this, they were captured in these hell-like prisons and tortured till they reveal information that the authorities are so keen to hear. These people might have been simply captured because they are suspects, but have no concrete proof against them saying that they are terrorists.
The terrorist suspects have allegedly committed major crimes by destroying peace among people. They could have been behind a major attack in which many innocent people lost their lives. For example, Al Nashiri could have been a terrorist, as he was accused of plotting the 2000 attack on the US Cole, where 17 sailors died. However, this is not confirmed news. The interrogators torture the men in order to make them reveal their true selves. They gamble with the lives of the innocent, ruin them psychologically, and in many cases even physically, and then send them out back in the world. They cause irreversible impacts on the lives of these people.
This article reveals a cruel side of power. The authorities in power can irrefutably use it according to their will. They can use it, abuse it, and over-abuse it. Their only excuse for using it, however ironic that may sound is to propagate ‘peace’. These are direct crimes against humanity, and they all go unnoticed just because they are committed by people whose actions cannot be questioned. The higher officials were ‘angry as hell’ about this, but that is about it.
