detention centres

Omar Deghayes on Receiving Letters in Guantanamo

Spectacle — Fri, 21 May 2010 19:21:59 +0100

Live blog: Criticism of MI5 to be restored to Binyam Mohamed judgment | World news | guardian.co.uk

DrPot — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:39:17 +0000

Criticism of MI5 that was removed from the ruling on the involvement of the security service in the torture of Binyam Mohamed must be restored to the judgment, the court of appeal ruled today.
The decision is another blow to the government after it lost its attempt earlier this month to cover up MI5's complicity in "cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment" meted out to the British resident Mohamed by the US.
Passages that appeared in the original draft judgment were removed after Jonathan Sumption QC, the government's counsel, claimed the words suggested that MI5's approach undermined assurances given by ministers and that MI5 had "an interest in suppressing information".

Source: Live blog: Criticism of MI5 to be restored to Binyam Mohamed judgment | World news | guardian.co.uk

BBC NEWS | Health | Torturing 'does not get truth'

DrPot — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:15:32 +0100

Torture techniques used on suspected terrorists by the Bush administration may have failed to get to the truth, researchers say.
Professor Shane O'Mara of Trinity College, Dublin, said the interrogation techniques had a detrimental effect on brain functions related to memory.
He listed 10 methods of what he called torture used by the US, including stress positions and waterboarding.
His review is published in the journal, Trends in Cognitive Science.

Source: BBC NEWS | Health | Torturing 'does not get truth'

From Gitmo to Bagram | Sean Duggan | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

DrPot — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:08:54 +0100

It is disappointing that the panels responsible for reviewing the Obama administration's detention policy at Guantánamo Bay and its interrogation policy overall announced on Tuesday that they would need more time to complete their evaluations. Thankfully, though, the pending review of the Afghan prison and judicial system is on track to be completed swiftly and thoroughly by the US military at this critical juncture in the nearly eight-year-long conflict.

Source: From Gitmo to Bagram | Sean Duggan | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Bush's key men face grilling on torture and death squads | World news | The Observer

DrPot — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 09:08:15 +0100

America is bracing itself for a series of investigations that could see top officials from the administration of President George W Bush hauled in front of Congress, grilled by a special prosecutor and possibly facing criminal charges.
Several investigations will now cast a spotlight on Bush-era torture policy and a secret CIA assassination programme, examining the role played by big names such as the former vice-president Dick Cheney and the former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
In one investigation into the controversial firing of federal prosecutors, Bush's political guru, Karl Rove, has already been forced to appear before Congress and give testimony behind closed doors.

Source: Bush's key men face grilling on torture and death squads | World news | The Observer

Top CIA officials appear before grand jury over destruction of al-Qaida interrogation tapes | World news | guardian.co.uk

DrPot — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:50:56 +0100

Senior Central Intelligence Agency officials, including the London station chief, have been brought before a grand jury in Virginia investigating the potentially illegal destruction of 92 video tapes recording the torture and interrogation of al-Qaida detainees.
A special prosecutor, John Durham, has called the CIA officials as part of an 18-month-long criminal probe in to the destruction of evidence of the agency's interrogators using waterboarding and other forms of torture against Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al Nashiri who are described by the Americans as "high value" detainees now held at Guantánamo Bay.
Those ordered to testify include the former CIA chief, Porter J Gross.

Source: Top CIA officials appear before grand jury over destruction of al-Qaida interrogation tapes | World news | guardian.co.uk

Guantanamo Bay

legofesto — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:44:33 +0100

New Memos: How Bush's Justice Dept. Approved Torture with Waterboards and Bugs | Mother Jones

martijn — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:19:12 +0100

Bugs? The CIA tried to use bugs to get a suspected terrorist to spill secrets?
That's one piece of information contained in four once-secret memos written by Bush Justice Department officials to justify the use of coercive techniques--aka torture.

Source: New Memos: How Bush's Justice Dept. Approved Torture with Waterboards and Bugs | Mother Jones

NI 'should take Guantanamo freed'

Patrick Corrigan — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 00:00:31 +0000

Northern Ireland should offer to take some prisoners freed from Guantanamo Bay by US president Barack Obama, Amnesty International has said.

Amnesty called on First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to offer to help.

Source: NI 'should take Guantanamo freed'

Ulster should say 'yes' to Guantánamo prisoners

Patrick Corrigan — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:11:42 +0000

Northern Irish politicians have never been shy about going cap in hand to Washington to ask for help with our political and economic problems. They were there again this week for the annual St Patrick's Day shindiggery.

Now it's time for them to return the favour by helping Obama out of the hole dug by his predecessor: Guantánamo Bay.

Source: Ulster should say 'yes' to Guantánamo prisoners

'No US rights' for Bagram inmates

fionamc — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 10:40:54 +0000

Detainees being held at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan cannot use US courts to challenge their detention, the US says.

Source: 'No US rights' for Bagram inmates

Blair wins $1m leadership prize

krease chan — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:27:21 +0000

Former prime minister Tony Blair has won $1m (£697,000) for his leadership on the world stage.
Mr Blair, now a Middle East envoy, will receive the Dan David Prize at Tel Aviv University in Israel in May.

Source: Blair wins $1m leadership prize

'Torture' case lawyer comes to UK

DrPot — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:02:50 +0000

A US military lawyer is travelling to Britain to urge the Foreign Office to press harder for the release of a UK resident detained at Guantanamo Bay.
Lt Col Yvonne Bradley told the BBC that her client Binyam Mohamed is very ill as a result of a hunger strike.
Charges against him were dropped last year. He has alleged torture, and the UK government has been criticised after the full details were kept secret.
"Mr Mohamed needs to be released now and not later," said Lt Col Bradley.

Source: 'Torture' case lawyer comes to UK

Beyond Guantanamo: the inhuman body of the iconic face (Amnesty Blogs: Belfast and Beyond)

Patrick Corrigan — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:56:05 +0000

Tony Blair famously said that Guantanamo bay is ‘an anomaly’. House of Lords Law Lord, Lord Steyn, called Guantanamo Bay a ‘legal black hole’. Both these descriptions would help us believe that, if carried out, Obama’s pledges to close the place down, will be the end of it.

But the twin testimonies of Guantanamo Bay survivor, Moazzam Begg, and ex-Guantanamo guard, Chris Arendt, speaking at the Cageprisoners event in Belfast last week*, indicated a much more complex picture.

Source: Beyond Guantanamo: the inhuman body of the iconic face (Amnesty Blogs: Belfast and Beyond)

New Statesman - no place for children petition

farahfoo — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:31:10 +0100

Your chance to support the New Statesman's No Place for Children campaign: join Philip Pullman, Monica Ali, Nick Hornby and others in signing our petition calling for an end to the detention of children for immigration reasons...

Source: New Statesman - no place for children petition

Obama and McCain lobbied on rendition from Ireland

Patrick Corrigan — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:10:46 +0100

Good to see that our colleagues south of the border have launched a letter-writing campaign targeting Barack Obama and John McCain – one of whom will be the new US President in January 2009 – on the issue of extraordinary rendition through Ireland...

Source: Obama and McCain lobbied on rendition from Ireland

History repeating

Niluccio — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:51:34 +0100

This is an article my father would rather I didn't write. "You want to watch it, you know," he has said to me, more than once. "If you're not careful, you'll get a brick through your window." In the working-class area of Peterborough where my father grew up during the 20s and 30s, it probably wasn't wise to mention that you had Romany blood, however distant.

Source: History repeating

Immigrants' centre set up to keep children out of detention to shut

Niluccio — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:46:51 +0100

The Home Office is abandoning a programme to accommodate children and their families outside immigration detention centres, it emerged last night.

Millbank, a former old people's home in Ashford, Kent, was converted into a home for asylum-seeker families as part of an "alternative to detention" government pilot last year.

The project was aimed at keeping children in local schools while encouraging their families - who have exhausted their asylum appeals - to voluntarily return home.

However, the Guardian has learned that after almost a year in operation - during which it was supposed to accommodate up to 170 people a day - Millbank is empty.

Source: Immigrants' centre set up to keep children out of detention to shut

The Removed

cat — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:39:49 +0100