British Government Releases Torture Details

Contrary to the wishes of the US government the UK has publicly released the redacted description of the ill-treatment of former detainee Binyam Mohamed {2.10.09}.  The British Court of Appeals ruled that since similar information was released in a US court case, the details of Binyam Mohamed's treatment in Afghanistan should also be released.  Mr. Mohamed is an Ethiopian granted refugee status in Britain in 1994. Upon release from detention, he returned to the UK, and sued the British government claiming MI5 was complicit in the torture by American agents; the released documents confirmed the claim. The contents of the seven redacted paragraphs can be read here.  Nothing about the torture is really new, consisting of so-called "torture lite" or psychological pressure, sleep deprivation, and shackling. The Court found the treatment to be "at the very least, cruel, inhuman and degrading by the United States authorities."  In a not so coincidental development, previously unreleased aerial photos of the falling twin towers have been released in the US pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act suit.  Touché!