A new report from the inspector general’s office found that from 2012 to 2014, the US State Department seized the passports of American citizens in Yemen without following proper procedures, and without consistent documentation.
This was ongoing at the US Embassy in Sanaa, where the Obama Administration was worried about passport fraud. They seized the passports of the citizens they suspected had committed fraud, and left them stranded in Yemen.
In at least one case, courts faulted the State Department for its approach, and ordereed the return of a passport seized in Yemen. They noted that the confession the man signed was “involuntary,” and coerced after he was denied food, water, and medication.
The inspector general concluded that the State Department routinely ignored citizens who asked for their passports back, and left them stuck in war-torn Yemen. In fact, the record-keeping was so shoddy that officials couldn’t even conclude how many passports were taken, with the State Department offering several different numbers to different investigators. At least 31 have been confirmed, but it may be more.
“confession the man signed was “involuntary,” and coerced”
So under Obama, the US was torturing American citizens. At least Dubya limited torture to foreigners.
Tell that to Jose Padilla.
that I s what I fear for my family being stuck in a starving country with no possible chance to escape . dependent on some government bureaucrat to act fast and .correctly .
It is most important to protect passport integrity? Not whether they are Americans so they can leave a country before a war starts? They tortured a guy to sign a confession that he committed passport fraud by claiming he wasn’t who he said he was? They accepted his signature on the confession even though he used the same name? Wow.