Tuesday: 4 Iraqis Killed, 7 Wounded
Amnesty International released a report stating that Iraq routinely tortures detainees in secret prisons. Meanwhile, at least four Iraqis were killed and seven more were wounded in reported violence.
read moreLitany of Abuses Fueled Protesters’ Fury
In Egypt, where protesters continued to demonstrate Tuesday for the eighth day in a row, the use of torture by law enforcement officials over the past two decades has contributed to the growing unrest, rights groups say. In a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW),...
Excusing Torture at ‘Justice’
On Sunday, I attended an informal talk given in a parish hall by the Justice Department's Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for civil rights. His topic: “The way his work for justice is defined by his faith.” During the Q&A after his talk, I had a chance to...
Monday: 29 Iraqis Killed, 181 Wounded
Updated at 11:51 p.m EST, Jan. 24, 2010
As Arbaeen observances culminate, the violence towards pilgrims continues. At least 29 were killed and 181 more were wounded in attacks across the country, but the deadliest occurred just outside Karbala. While most of the casualties, if not all, were Iraqi, some of the pilgrims may have been foreigners. Meanwhile, new allegations against an elite security force overseen directly by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki are surfacing.
read moreThursday: 3 Iraqis Killed, 34 Wounded
Updated at 10:33 p.m. EST, Dec. 30, 2010
At least three Iraqis were killed in the latest violence while 34 more were wounded. Christians were targeted in at least two attacks in Baghdad, even as Parliament Speaker Usama al-Nujeifi met with Christian leaders to express his solidarity with the minority group. Meanwhile, Iraq Body Count released preliminary civilian casualty figures for 2010.
read moreGetting It Wrong in Guantánamo
I was at Guantánamo Bay prison on Halloween. In a ghoulishly fitting coincidence, that was the same day a former child soldier was convicted for war crimes for the first time since the end of World War II. Eight years and one day after Omar Khadr arrived at...
Britain to Settle Rendition, Torture Case for Millions
The British government will reportedly pay millions in compensation to seven British nationals who were unlawfully "rendered" to U.S.-run prisons and tortured with the cooperation of British intelligence. The British press is reporting that ministers and the security...
Outrage Mounts over Bush’s Waterboarding ‘Confession’
After a three-year investigation, President Barack Obama's mantra – "look forward and not backwards" – appears to have trumped the rule of law as a special prosecutor declined to pursue criminal charges against the Central Intelligence Agency operatives...
Bush Boasts About Waterboarding
Former President George W. Bush continues to be beyond shame. Those favored with an advance copy of his memoir, Decision Points, say it paints a picture of a totally unapologetic Bush bragging, for example, about authorizing the CIA to waterboard 9/11 “mastermind”...
