Torture Shame for Humanity
We Should Never Forget
Edip Yüksel
30 April 2013
www.19.org
I know torture first hand. I have told about it in my upcoming autobiography. And I knew that I was tortured with American devices by the members of the fascist military regime who were called by the USA as “our boys.” From that experience, whenever I see anyone trying to justify torture, it invokes powerful emotions. I see them as animals, as monsters, as ogres disguised under fancy clothes, modern grooming and rich arsenal of lexicon and sophistry to fool scared people.
Thousands of prisoners in Iraqi jails, especially, in Abu Gharib were subjected to appalling series of systematic terror and tortures. It was the application of the so-called Torture Manuals, which was partially declassified in 1996 by the Pentagon. Thousands of Iraqis and Afghans were raped and sodomized by American soldiers and contractors for years. And knowing the history of imperialism, I am sure that it still continues in many places around the world. No more than 30 of the despicable men and women who committed those atrocities were punished. Compared to their crimes, they received light punishment. They also betrayed the American people by inflaming the rage and anger against Americans, thereby adding more recruits to the terrorist organizations. The New York Times, on January 12, 2005, reported testimony suggesting that the following actions had taken place at Abu Ghraib:
- Urinating on detainees.
- Jumping on detainee’s leg (a limb already wounded by gunfire) with such force that it could not heal properly afterward.
- Continuing by pounding detainee’s wounded leg with collapsible metal baton.
- Pouring phosphoric acid on detainees.
- Sodomization of detainees with a baton.
- Tying ropes to the detainees’ legs or penises and dragging them across the floor.
Though many Americans were shocked to hear the news of torture, they forgot about it as fast as they were shocked by it!
Knowing the power of state propaganda, jingoism and common hypocrisy, many politicians to promote torture based on outlandish scenarios and fear, despite the fact that torture does not help in gathering reliable information.
The table blow is sufficient to indict the USA as the major violator of human rights. It is from my friend Noam Chomsky’s book, The Washington Connection and Third World Fascism.
Torture (Countries With US training) – Post World War II to 1975
Torture Countries identified by Amnesty International
|
Torture Country |
US-trained Military/Police |
US military Aid in $ (1946–1979) |
| Greece |
14,144 |
2,794,900,000 |
| Portugal |
2,997 |
361,900,000 |
| Spain |
9,872 |
920,200,000 |
| Turkey |
18,900 |
4,576,400,00 |
| Indonesia |
4,757 |
218,200,000 |
| Philippines |
15,245 |
805,800,000 |
| South Korea |
32,479 |
6,542,300,000 |
| South Vietnam |
35,788 |
16,490,500,000 |
| Iran |
10,807 |
1,412,500,000 |
| Saudi Arabia |
1,380 |
295,900,000 |
| Morocco |
2,209 |
138,700,000 |
| Tunisia |
636 |
62,400,000 |
| Venezuela |
5,341 |
142,200,000 |
| Uruguay |
2,537 |
85,900,000 |
| Paraguay |
1,435 |
26,400,000 |
| Peru |
6,734 |
193,500,000 |
| Nicaragua |
4,897 |
25,500,000 |
| Mexico |
738 |
14,300,000 |
| Haiti |
567 |
4,200,000 |
| Guatemala |
3,030 |
39,300,000 |
| Dominican Republic |
3,705 |
38,200,000 |
| Colombia |
6,200 |
154,800,00 |
| Chile |
6,328 |
216,900,000 |
| Brazil |
8,448 |
603,100,00 |
| Bolivia |
3,956 |
56,600,000 |
| Argentina |
3,676 |
230,300,000 |
Source: The Washington Connection and Third World Fascism, Chomsky N, Herman ES, Spokesman (1979), ISBN 0-89608-090-0, pg 361
