The US and British governments sold their respective populations on involvement in the Libya War with complaints about the brutality of Moammar Gadhafi. They were in a position to know, it seems, as evidence of their complicity in the regime’s torture of dissidents becomes increasingly public knowledge.
At the center of a growing scandal is Libyan rebel commander Abdulhakim Belhaj, who in his decades as an Islamist insurgent fighting against Gadhafi was caught up in a joint US and British plot, and tortured by the CIA before being handed over to the Gadhafi regime.
Now Belhaj is in a position of power in the incoming Libyan government, and is demanding an apology from both the US and British governments for their roles. Secret documents detailing their respective complicity in rounding up dissidents are still being dug out of Tripoli by the rebels.
British officials are defending their role in Belhaj’s capture and torture, saying it was “ministerially authorised government policy” to have such ties with Gadhafi. The US, for its part, has yet to comment.
Hoist by their own petard.
Isen't it ;ovely when the truth finally comes out about who did the torturing.
Whilst Gadhafi is being demonized – the REAL DEMONS are intent on taking over Libya's oil.
WE all are waking up to the worlds most evil countrys.They were wolfs in sheeps clothing and still are but we see through the lies.
America was ungrateful for the cooperation -same with Sadaam. It might raise the speculative question: what's torture for? Initiation? Acclimation? Extortion? If torture was something hanging over Libya's head, and it does indeed produce crap for intelligence… what's the point?
For decades, the US supported and financed similar evil regimes, especially in Latin America. There, it did so under the guise of fighting Communism. In the Middle East and North Africa, it does so under the guise of fighting terrorism.
But, the ultimate aim was and remains the subjugation and terrorizing of entire populations into cowering under the needs and designs of a ruthless empire.
What has changed over the last 50 years is merely the banner, the goal and methods have remained the same.
torture is to frighten people, or terriorism if you like
Here is someone else demanding an apology for evil acts. Perhaps this should be the trend – at very least it keeps the evildoing in the public´s eye.
Americans do not torture. There are, however, too many creeps with that citizenship who do commit such heinous acts – I refuse to recognize them as Americans, or even human beings.
Here is someone else demanding an apology for evil acts. Perhaps this should be the trend – at very least it keeps the evildoers and their evildoing in the public´s eye.
Torture dear persnipoles is for whatever it is for or "raison tempore" False confessions was probably reason #1 if you believe , as I do that it was an inside job!
I think there's reason to be interested in the effect on the perp. I picture this ultimate-power-over someone, that gos with torture, as something comparable to an opium high –and there's obviously power to be had over an addict (e.g. to Graner: 'why don't you stop?' 'I can't.'). The perp would also be aware of how fully the situation could turn on him if exposed; more power over him. And so the story here: 'brutal dictator' –'brutal' to some extent because of his complicity and cooperation with US & UK –is ousted ostensibly AS a 'brutal dictator.' So, was the original intent for gaining his cooperation to launder disinfo, or was there a paint-me-evil con-job operating on the Colonel? They're not mutually exclusive…but if the victim is useful because disinfo can be attributed to him, what future use is there for what's done to the perp in the same process? You eat the wheat, you build with straw…cleaned the baby, recycle the bathwater… I dunno.
An apology? From the empire? Muuuuuaaaa haaaaaaa
America is the most immoral government in the world but trying to force there evil ways on others.Mind your own bissness and follow the constitution.
learning from Turkey
Nice to see our feted Pres "O" come out of the closet, or in this case i guess coming out of a horse would be more apt…… Torture…?? No comment… War powers…. No Comment…. Constitution…. No comment…. Ya gotta love it, and a constitutional scholar to boot… Chicago…. New York, civilizing influences…??? No, just better high grade corruption… It's been institutionalized…. It's being taught at our most esteemed universities. We should have known that anyone exposed to one Allen Dirshowitz is inclined to have been corrupted to a greater or lesser degree… It seems so many of our ruling cast have ALL made their deals with the devil… Nothing NEW…. ___[At that time, Mukasey also admitted that he considered waterboarding to be “repugnant” on a “personal basis,” but again claimed he could not strike a “legal opinion” on the issue.]— Oh no.. We have seen such inhumanity rear it's grotesque acquisitive head every few decades or so since before Herodotus… We have seen them come and we have seen them go…. Usually at some extravagant loss to the state and her people… often annihilation….penury….slavery or decades and decades of rebuilding…. Just print more and more money and invade and war with more and more nations… an join the club of what could have been…