If america "does not torture" captives and foriegn combatant's....?

Question

then why is part of Daivid Hicks, the australian terrorist who recently plead quilty on terrorism charges at guantanamo, to stay silent about alleged abuses. It would seem to me that if there was no abuse or eveidence to support abuse, that added phrase would not be needed.

I had read an article on the subject and thought it would make an interesting question for debate before i posted the question.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070331/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/guantanamo_hicks

Answer 1

Because the US would give him his day in court if he brought charges for torture. Multiply that buy 1000's and you tie up the courts for years. Every prisoner would claim the same thing.
The way I look at it is, he has 10 fingers and 10 toes, he's well fed and most importantly he still has his head connected to his torso....You want to go train with Al Quida, then you might suffer some abuse if you get caught....

Answer 2

Their adoption of the process of "extreme rendition", whereby suspected terrorists are forced to travel to other countries which DO torture such people, just so that they can say that: "we don't condone torturing people in America", is proof that the American government has now sunk to the level of its enemies. What next: concentration camps? showers with Zyklon B?? Hicks was brutalised. Anyone who believes sleep deprivation is not a form of torture needs to try it until they change their mind. No wonder the USA is now the most hated country in the world. Even the Canadians only pretend to like America, to stop themselves being invaded!

Answer 3

When someone constantly tells lies that undermine a government, it is not in the interest of justice to allow them to continue. When investigation after investigation is launched, as they have been, and the same person has been allowed repeatedly to talk to the investigators, it is NOT necessary to let them talk to every free press which has a political agenda to undermine everything the government is doing.
No one is OWED a platform. Prisoners are not OWED to be allowed to publisize their views around the world (thank goodness).

It is interesting that "guilty until proven innocent" seems to characterize the approach most U.S. haters around the world use to deal with us. But don't worry. Free speech and free press STILL bring these things out (look at your post, as an example). We'll all hear all sides eventually, and I welcome that so happily.

Rumors, name-calling, sedition and yes, even abuse (look at what came out at one of the most secure military bases in the world!) cannot survive freedom. WE, the U.S., fight such nonsense and support freedom, including yours.

Keep speaking up, but balance that against nations that DON'T allow freedoms, punish people who reveal such things as you just shared, and actively torture their prisoners.

The United States actively removes such things, punishes their own.
You'd trade that for another place?

Answer 4

In Australia I think most people feel little empathy with Hicks but we are disgusted at the ritual abuse of International Covenant sof Fair Law by the American adminsitraion in dealings with him. Did USA learn nothing from Vietnam and Korea?

Answer 5

We follow the geneva convention unfortunately the terrorists are not part of a regular army. At one point the rule for nonuniformed individuals was they were spies and as such shot on site. To be a foreign combatant you actually have to be part of a
"recognized army" and your country be a signer of the treaty. These individuals are willing to strap bombs to children to kill and main more innocent people? They are willing to do anything to promote their cause. We can't afford to be nice with these people the outcome is too important.

Answer 6

There is plenty of torture going on in those secret CIA Torture Camps run by the CIA that Bush got caught in another lie when they were discovered by another country!

They had 1 guy who just got out of one of those camps who confessed to doing everything but the Kennedy assassination!

And the Australian was never at one of the CIA camps.

If they were treated so well at Gitmo, why did Bush violate the Geneva Conventions when he would not allow the International Red Cross to see them?

Answer 7

It is our solemn right and duty to torture detainees. Now you make the f'in decision. If you guys dont want to torture people that want to kill us then I think I should live somewhere else.

Answer 8

Your question is moot unless you are saying terrorists have civil rights.
You wouldn't be carrying a ACLU card by any chance?

Answer 9

Does it matter...