The Torturing of Prisoners by the American Military - Term Paper Example

The Torturing of Prisoners by American Military Affiliation with more information about affiliation, research grants, conflict of interest and how to contact The Torturing of Prisoners by American Military Ready availability of intelligence is a highly significant factor that determines the success of wars and, therefore, nations across the world accord top priority for the process of collection of intelligence. In the times of war, intelligence is required for planning strategies and well as to ascertain the movement of enemy troops, their deployment, war tactics being employed and also for intercepting their communication. Therefore, countries engaged in war attempt to extract such information from prisoners of the enemy troops that they arrest and detain. Since soldiers do not usually divulge information, the military personnel who detain hostiles as prisoners of war use different methods of torture for extracting information. Similarly, during peace time also nations come under threat of terrorist attacks, which is a major problem in nations across the world. Thus, when the military or the law enforcement agencies arrest suspects, they torture them to obtain information. In the modern day the United States of America is one nation that has become the target of many countries due to political as well as religious reasons. Politically, the nation opposes communism and as a result, countries embracing the communist political ideology have become America’s enemies. On the other hand, in religious and political context, the nation is also being targeted by Muslim radical groups. Thus, the American military as well as law enforcement agencies are often forced to resort to torturing prisoners from other nations for extracting information for the purpose of safeguarding the external and internal security of their nation. Main Incidents of Torture Committed by American Military/Law Enforcement: While there are often allegations about countries engaged in war torturing the prisoners of war and other suspects, the complaints against the US military have been mounting in recent years, especially in the context of their role in Iraq, Afghanistan and in the crackdowns against the Al Qaeda. The general perception is that torture is being meted out by low ranking soldiers but in many cases the evidence has suggested that high ranking officers in both the military and civil administration authorize such atrocities on detainees. It is also noted that while the US government promises to punish those responsible for such acts, only the people at bottom receive the punishment and top ranking leaders get away. One of the major instances of the exposure of US torture on prisoners of war in recent days is the episode in March 28, 2004 when pictures of US soldiers inflicting torture and humiliation on the “detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq” (Getting Away with Torture: Command Responsibility for the US Abuse of Detainees, 2005, p.8). The picture shows grotesque images of a female US soldier “holding a naked Iraqi soldier” on a leash, another one with a “wire attached to his extremities and genitals” and bodies of many other dead soldiers lying on the floor with American soldiers laughing, with thumbs up signs (p.8). However, the Bush administration has attempted to discount this case as a stray incident of atrocity by a few bad elements in the force that are a disgrace to the nation. However, in the case of the “War of Terrorism” in the context of Al Qaeda, America’s stand remains more stern, perhaps as a result of the devastating havoc wreaked on the country as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Thus, when the CIA has sought clarification on the use of interrogation techniques on the detainees of the Al Qaeda, the Department of the Justice Office of the Legal Counsel (OLC) has clarified that the torturing of Al Qaeda detainees “may be justified” as it falls in the criteria of “necessity and self-defense” which will absolve the officers from the “criminal liability” (p.11). Similarly, the US authorities have also sanctioned “harsher interrogation techniques” in Guantanamo, Cuba, including “hooding, stress positions, isolation, stripping, deprivation of light, removal of religious items, forced grooming, and use of dogs” etc, which are prohibited under the Geneva Convention as well as other statutes that are meant to protect the safety of the prisoners of war and other human rights (p.12). Some of the “coercive interrogation methods” have allegedly been undertaken with the consent of the US Secretary of Defense (Getting Away with Torture: Command Responsibility for the US Abuse of Detainees, 2005, p.1). In Guantanamo, the US officials have also used dogs to stand guard so as to inflict fear in the minds of the prisoners. Stress techniques are also employed for extracting information from the detainees, using several methods that can entail stress on their mind. Various interviews and reports have shown that the prisoners of war were not just tortured in the Abu Ghraib prison of Iraq, but also in “dozens of U.S. detention facilities worldwide” (p.1). Evidence further suggests that the US government has the prisoners of war sent to “third-country dungeons” as well as “secret locations” controlled by the US officials themselves (p.1). In this way the US “outsourced torture” to “over 28 countries” and left it up to the foreign government to do as they pleased with those detainees (Fischer & Graves, 2011, p.7). The detention facilities included first of all the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, where “over 100,000 prisoners” underwent physical and emotional torture through victimization in terms of “sexual abuse, rape, sodomy” and ultimately death as well (Fischer &Graves, p.6). Another such location is the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, which followed the “bloodless quality” list of practices that can be used on the detainees (No Torture No Exceptions, 2008, p.17). Again, in Afghanistan, many sites such as the “infamous Salt Pit” where the prisoners have been “tortured and sodomized,” to reveal the intelligence of their home countries, stand as live testimony to the atrocities of the American military in other countries to extract information for defense purposes (Fischer &Graves, p.10). Besides, in the prison cells of Egypt, the detainees have been treated cruelly by the American military and many reports point to the fact of prisoners having been “stripped and blindfolded, suspended from a ceiling or doorframe” with their feet barely touching the ground and “subjected to electrical shocks” and so on (Getting Away with Torture: Command Responsibility for the US Abuse of Detainees, 2005, p.61). On the other hand, in Syria, the American troops have made the detainees to undergo much worse torture and the methods employed include “pulling out fingernails, forcing objects into the rectum, hyper extending the spine and bending the detainees into the frame of a wheel and whipping exposed body parts” (p.61). Methods of Torture: Torture is the act of deliberately causing pain and suffering to a person by tormenting him or her either mentally or physically, using any of the methods that can inflict harm on the body and instill fear in the mind. In the military context, it is used as a tool by the military officers of a particular nation to obtain intelligence about the enemy country from the prisoners of war. Torture is imposed on these “unlawful enemy combatants,” as the personnel of George Washington called them, in different ways (Fischer &Graves, p.2). Following are some of the methods, which the US military employs to extract information from the prisoners of war or the suspected terrorists: Water Boarding: The interrogator submerges the prisoner’s head into water or covers it with a wet cloth for some time until the detainee “believes that he is drowning” (Getting Away with Torture: Command Responsibility for the US Abuse of Detainees, 2005, p.2). The use of this method can cause stress and fear in the detainees’ mind and is expected to make them impart information. Sleep Deprivation for Weeks: Under the method of “sleep deprivation for weeks” detainees are not permitted to go to sleep for several weeks together. This method is intended to make them tired and desperate as a result of which the military can take advantage of their weakened mental state and diminishing determination to obtain information regarding the defense strategies of the enemy country. Sleep deprivation is a very dangerous method and repetitive use of this technique badly affects the victim as he starts suffering from “hallucinations and psychosis” ((No Torture No Exceptions, 2008, p.17). Forcing the Detainees to Lie on Frozen Ground: Another commonly employed method of physical torture is to force the detainees forced to lie naked on a big slab of ice or on the frozen floor and the officers begin their interrogation while the detainee suffers in that condition, which will break his resolve not to divulge any kind of information. Beatings: Beating is another method used by the military to inflict intense physical pain on the detainees. This is done not just using bare hands but by also making use of “whips, metal rods,” canes, sticks, belts etc (Getting Away with Torture: Command Responsibility for the US Abuse of Detainees, 2005, p.61). To make the process excruciating for the prisoner, they are suspended from the ceiling while the beatings are inflicted on them. Inflicting Sexual Assault and Degradation: In this case, the detainees are forced into unwanted sexual relations and the officials cause humiliation and degradation by stripping them naked in front of the onlookers, put them on chains or employ other derogatory tactics. Sexual assault and degradation are expected to dilute the will power of the detainees so that they will part with information that will be helpful to the military. Pouring Cold Water on Naked Detainees: The detainees are “stripped naked” and cold water is poured on their body continuously for a long duration of time (Getting Away with Torture: Command Responsibility for the US Abuse of Detainees, 2005, p.32). Usually the military people go for such methods only during extremely cold seasons in order to inflict maximum trauma. American Government’s Attempts to Hide the Atrocities by their Military: Though present issues in atrocities by the US mainly relate to Muslim countries, the US government was formerly involved in various atrocities in Asian as well as African countries. The examples can be found in the case of Vietnam and Nicaragua. Termed as “most convulsive and traumatic” of the three wars that America has fought in the 50 years after the Pearl Harbor episode, the Vietnam war has been one event in its history that divided the country’s citizens to such an extent after the Civil War (Herring, 1991, p.104). Several reasons are contributed for the intervention of the US in this Asian country but the American government cannot deny the fact that despite their efforts at covering up the facts, they have committed several atrocities in the country. In the same line, the US has also intervened in Nicaragua, purportedly for establishing a democratic government in the country during 1980s. There is no doubt that the US intentions are good and done in a positive light but the government cannot deny the fact that the military has committed several atrocities in this country also. Evidence also suggests that some Venezuelan operatives have organized “programs on the ground in Nicaragua” (Robinson, 2004, p.445). It, therefore, transpires that the United States a long history of intervening with the affairs of other nations and committing atrocities in such countries. As mentioned earlier, the US government has been “shifting blames” to its “low ranking officials” and trying to hold them responsible for all the torture that they themselves permitted and initiated (Getting Away with Torture: Command Responsibility for the US Abuse of Detainees, 2005, p.3). Although they deny of having given such permissions and their many self-investigations have labeled the acts of torture as “not approved” by the high officials, truth is that it has been absolutely under their control (Getting Away with Torture: Command Responsibility for the US Abuse of Detainees, 2005, p.4). Another common trick they employ is claiming that medical personnel were present during interrogations, providing assurance that the noticing of any type of harm caused to the detainee would have been stopped immediately. Through this, the US government intended to provide “legal cover for torture” and the atrocities they wreaked (Fischer & Graves, 2011, p.12). Conclusion: The old adage that “Everything is fair in love and war” cannot be taken as an excuse to condone atrocities committed against innocent people in a civilized world, no matter which region they belong to or which religious faith they owe their allegiance to. It is true that several precious American lives have been sacrificed unnecessarily due to the unjustified terrorist attacks that have occurred in the country, especially those by the Muslim radicals. However, it is not right on the part of any country to violate the basic human rights of an innocent person. While America is justified in its war on terror and killing leaders like Saddam Hussein or Bin Laden, one cannot find any logic in their torturing innocent people whether they are civilians or soldiers of another country. Evidence emerging from this research has confirmed the violation of human rights by the American military in many countries. Many recent incidents involving terrorist attacks across the world point to the fact that nations must exercise caution to identify and obviate the risks. Terrorism is a menace that needs to be eliminated from the face of earth and each in the world should take part in the mission and support America in their efforts. But, at the same time, world nations also need to recognize the fact that pointless killing of innocent humans needs to be stopped as the rights of every individual deserve protection. Therefore, before they authorize and execute any operation, the American government must ensure that their military or law enforcements do not violate the human rights of innocent people through resorting to any extreme measures such as torture. Reference List Does the U.S Torture People? (n.d). International Law and Accountability. Retrieved form Fischer, B. & Graves, L. (n.d). International Law and the War on Terror. Retrieved from Getting Away with Torture? Command Responsibility for the US Abuse of Detainees. (2005). Human Rights Watch, Vol.17, No.1 (G). Retrieved from Herring, G. C. (1991). America and Vietnam: The Unending War. Foreign Affairs, Vol.70, No.5. Retrieved from No Torture No Exceptions. (2008). Retrieved from Robinson, W. I. (2004). Commentary: What to Expect from US “Democracy Promotion” in Iraq. New Political Science, Vol.26, No.3. Retrieved from Read More