Orid Memerian's story was truly astonishing. We hear about torture-induced confessions taking place by extremist regimes but to hear about an actual person's story and to learn first-hand about the details of this is both upsetting and disheartening. I don't think the enormity of how horrendous it truly is gets fully comprehended by the public. Orid Memerian will never escape this- it was posted and discussed all over the media- and memories of his captivity will likely remain vivid in his mind forever. Even worse, he is not the only person who has been persecuted for their "confessions." I cannot even imagine what it must be like to be in their shoes. As awful as this story was, I think it is important for the public to be educated and informed on such an issue, as this is the only way action against it can begin.
-- Lucia Cavanagh
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After watching the video in class on enhanced interrogation techniques in Iraq, I was amazed at the lack of coordination and improper training exhibited by the U.S. military. The reliance on these torture methods was by all accounts encouraged from top military leadership. Or, in the case of the captain, she indicated that it was implied she instruct her soldiers to use torture to produce intelligence, and once she began, the Secretary of Defense and others turned a blind eye. The least the leadership could do was instruct their soldiers more in legal rules such as the Geneva Convention, or at least give better guidelines for interrogating.
ReplyDeleteThe articles were interesting too, especially the Washington Post article entitled "5 Myths About Torture and Truth." This explains the all too prevalent case that methods such as waterboarding, beating severely, starving, etc. do little but produce false confessions and misguided intelligence. The biggest myth, I think, is that most people can tell when someone is lying under "enhanced interrogation methods." The article uses psychological statistics and examples to explain that this is not the case. The soldiers in the video seemed to be poorly trained in this area anyway.