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Obama Threatens the UK to Keep Torture Evidence Concealed

salon.com — If a British court describes Binyam Mohamed's torture, then the U.S. will no longer inform Britain of terrorist plots, Obama threatens.

Who dugg this? Made popular May 13, 2009

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  • PhilPerspective, on 05/12/2009, -70/+563This sure as hell isn't change we can believe in!!
  • SeculrProgrsive, on 05/12/2009, -39/+247Al Qaeda hates everyone different than themselves, and they know they could never defeat the USA - all they could hope for was make us more like them. The minute we started torturing, they won.
  • BBE1965, on 05/12/2009, -89/+292I wonder how the Obama-apologists are going to explain this away.
  • Partyworm, on 05/13/2009, -5/+134Read the article

    "If I had to guess here -- and it's only a guess -- it seems clear that the British Government does not want these facts disclosed. After all, Mohamed's allegation is that British government agents broke the law by collaborating in his torture. The British Government needs a reason to justify to its High Court concealment of the details of what was done to Mohamed, and being able to point to a "national security harm" from disclosure (i.e., the U.S. is threatening to cease intelligence-sharing) provides that excuse. Since both the British and U.S. Governments obviously prefer that evidence of Mohamed's torture be concealed, it is not difficult to envision the Obama administration happily cooperating (as the Bush administration did) by providing the British with whatever they need to justify ongoing concealment of this evidence (if you need us to say that we'll cut off intelligence-sharing with you in the event of disclosure, here's a letter saying that). In other words, this isn't really a case of the U.S. Government genuinely threatening Britain as much as it is the two governments collaborating to provide the British government with an excuse to justify concealment, on national security grounds, of the facts of Mohamed's torture."

    This is happening because the UK government wants a cover for not exposing its own role in this torture of Binyam which would just as damaging to themselves as it would to the U.S. Think about it, for what possible reason would the Obama administration liberally disclose domestic torture memos from the Bush administration, and then turn around and threaten an ally for attempting to do the same? This is all smoke and mirrors so that the UK government doesn't have to face accountability for its role in torture, and as disgusting as it is that Obama would go along with it, the real blame should rest with our disgrace of a government in the UK, not the U.S.
  • inactive, on 05/13/2009, -48/+167Just cause you voted for someone doesn't mean that he does everything right, or how we would like it. Unlike Bush cronies, we accept reality.
  • JRowe3388, on 05/13/2009, -4/+108I admit it. I voted for Obama and this pisses me off.
  • Echota, on 05/12/2009, -33/+131 This is just really hard for me to believe.
    I want to know more before I say anything.
  • powatom, on 05/13/2009, -7/+87And yet I am still more likely to die from falling down the stairs than I am from being blown up!

    Release the evidence - and let's see if the US is bluffing. The terrorist threat is just not big enough to warrant all this garbage.
  • Mercedes383, on 05/13/2009, -18/+90That is no excuse. Human rights is human rights. A crime was committed, the evidence must be made available to the court system irrespective of where it has been sent or come from. To allow threats from the DOJ to thwart this is to treat the notion of justice as an empty joke.
  • Velnich, on 05/13/2009, -5/+73Dugg to hopefully have some more light shed on the situation.
  • gfryesc, on 05/13/2009, -21/+83obama's taking the Pelosi approach to torture: lies upon lies upon deceit upon lies.
  • lizard450, on 05/13/2009, -6/+68They won when the enacted the Patriot Act and exceeded their Federal Authority without blinking an eye.
  • mk2cav, on 05/13/2009, -1/+48"Mohamed's torture -- which included, among other things, genital slicing"

    I feel sick.
  • seanstuart, on 05/13/2009, -18/+63So, bottom line is that the Obama administration's policy is that protecting our own criminals from justice is more important than protecting foreign citizens from being murdered. U! S! A! U! S! A!
  • lizard450, on 05/13/2009, -8/+52I love America, but I hope the UK puts their money where their mouth is and tells the US to shove it. If torture doesn't work the UK shouldn't be missing out on anything useful anyway.

    I am not against torture because I am a bleeding heart. I am against torture because I simply don't think the Government should be participating in such activities. Furthermore it makes me uneasy when US citizens are being detained w/o due process under the Patriot Act and Law Enforcement officials in Missouri and the DHS have issued memos labeling American citizen's as potential terrorists. If they can use the Patriot Act against overseas terrorist, and against US Citizens. Then why can't they use "enhanced interrogation" against US Citizens?
  • JoeParanoid, on 05/12/2009, -36/+75This is serious dirty Chicago-style politics: "do what we tell you and no one gets hurt!"
  • tekg33k, on 05/13/2009, -28/+66Meet the new boss... same as the old boss...
  • Waiting2awake, on 05/13/2009, -10/+46Nov - all those things are great, but they aren't the major things that ***** your country. Things like:

    spying,
    torture,
    secret prisons,
    FISA,
    the Patriot Act,
    the wars in Iraq and
    the war in Afghanistan....

    Along those major lines - he is continuing what has been done.


  • Paladius, on 05/13/2009, -2/+37I agree with what Partyworm posted.... people should read the ENTIRE article before commenting.
  • kanojo1969, on 05/13/2009, -2/+36From the link on those words:

    "The 25 lines edited out of the court papers contained details of how Mr Mohamed’s genitals were sliced with a scalpel and other torture methods so extreme that waterboarding, the controversial technique of simulated drowning, “is very far down the list of things they did,” the official said."

    http://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/09/mohamed-tortur ...

    What ***** evil *****. This guy was completely innocent, all charges against him have been dropped.

    Who the ***** thinks - 'Hey, we haven't got anything on this guy yet, maybe if we cut his balls up with a scalpel he'll tell us something".

    I dare one of you 'torture is ok because it keeps us safe' idiots to defend that.
  • ajgasper, on 05/12/2009, -17/+49Sounds ominous.
  • flammablewater, on 05/13/2009, -3/+34READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE AND RELATED LINKS. This is NOT JUST OBAMA (not that he's innocent in any way). The Obama administration is cooperating in concealing the involvement of the British government in the case. This is not a case of 'the British are the good guys here and big bad Obama is withholding information'; this is mutually beneficial and a plausible alibi to not release the documents for both parties. Focus your blame on both sides equally. We're all being had. http://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/09/mohamed-tortur ...
  • sandbun, on 05/12/2009, -14/+44But the courts should get to decide if the information should be classified, not the Obama administration.
  • foohookups311, on 05/13/2009, -27/+57ohh so that's how they will explain it.
  • inactive, on 05/13/2009, -5/+35Whether or not they will release the written evidence we all know what they have been up. Including: beatings, humiliation, water boarding, prolonged standing in painful positions, menacing the victims with attack dogs and allowing the dogs to bite them, electrocution, sleep deprivation etc.

    Just look at the photos from Abu Gahraib which speak for themselves:

    http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=55&p=20656&s2= ...

    http://www.salon.com/news/abu_ghraib/2006/03/14/ch ...

    Torture was approved by the highest officials in the United States. All of the classified or secret evidence should be released and all of those involved should be arrested and tried for their crimes.
  • akhomestead, on 05/13/2009, -4/+33You forgoat the bailoutis, increaseing the national debt, the war on drugs and protecting wall street at the expense of you and I.

  • inactive, on 05/13/2009, -5/+34Did novenator just call Greenwald a wingnut?

    LMAO!
  • Nodaki, on 05/13/2009, -10/+38@alarion

    Please cite examples of "plenty of change."

    Also there were more than two choices for President.
  • gfryesc, on 05/13/2009, -5/+32the right has already been thoroughly trashed on digg, but not pelosi or obama. it's time we kicked that rock over they've been hiding under.

    besides, they own the joint now, lock stock and barrel.
  • mlvassallo, on 05/13/2009, -3/+30The worst part about Digg are the headlines and blurbs below them. Nobody reads the ***** article.
  • sandbun, on 05/12/2009, -17/+43What more could you possibly need to know? If England releases information that is already out there (since Mohamed has already told us what he experienced) the Obama administration is threatening to withhold potentially vital information to prevent terrorist attacks in the UK.
  • inactive, on 05/13/2009, -19/+45So when you see anything remotely anti GOP from reputable news sources like HP, you eat it up without a second thought but when you see an article that bashes Obama, you hesitate? Bias alert!
  • macman2k, on 05/13/2009, -46/+72Actually this is change you have to "believe in" because anyone who voted for Obama was blinded by "faith" in Obama's propaganda.


  • dcherryholmes, on 05/13/2009, -4/+29Do you know who Glenn Greenwald is? Hardly a "wingnut"
  • PhilPerspective, on 05/12/2009, -2/+25Care to further explain?
  • PsychoBrat, on 05/13/2009, -9/+32Plenty of solid evidence and reasoning in the article. Pity about the original title, though -- more, even, for the Digg title.
  • ralphodog, on 05/13/2009, -22/+45Buried as typical Digg over reactionary *****.

    "then the U.S. will no longer inform Britain of terrorist plots". That's a lie, the U.S. is obligated by multiple treaties to do such. What's it not obligated to do is inform them of stuff below that on the importance scale. It's also a perfectly reasonable position of the U.S. When they design cooperation agreements, these agreements specify who can see the information and who can't. If the U.K. violates it, it doesn't matter if their courts ordered it or not. They'll revert to what they're required to share.

    But hey, if one person can spin some *****, let's all believe it and go on a Digg rage. Who cares if it's not the truth and it's more complicated than a couple of paragraphs.
  • PhilPerspective, on 05/13/2009, -6/+28Pasaris:
    Does it deserve to be classified? We know of many instances where the Gov't classifies stuff only because it would be very embarassing if it were to come out. Stuff like Binyam Mohamed's torture.
  • nofreedom4theUS, on 05/13/2009, -3/+23They would have a chance if people would open their eyes/ears and turn their tv's off.
  • digdug135, on 05/13/2009, -14/+34Paging JenniferinMO (sp?); your sophistry skills are needed.
  • dukeeeey, on 05/13/2009, -25/+44al Qaeda doesn't exist, except in the minds of the west
  • AWBoy666, on 05/13/2009, -4/+23Dude, it's SALON. One of the most liberal news sources out there!

    WIngnut? You're just retarded to say that.
  • JayTee44, on 05/13/2009, -6/+24@DankBuddz
    So you try to direct attention away from that other disaster, Pelosi.
    Digg rule 1: Blame Republicans
    Digg rule 2: Mention that Republicans did it too
    Digg rule 3: Never blame the Messiah.
  • inactive, on 05/13/2009, -8/+26er... bit of a misleading digg title - the salon article headlines as "Obama Adminstration"
  • inactive, on 05/13/2009, -19/+36Well, the good news is that all you political noobs who voted for Obama are getting a lesson in how the real world works.

    (for the spelling nazis)
  • KSUdesigner, on 05/13/2009, -5/+22Ron Paul is not a member of a third party...
  • DankBuddz, on 05/13/2009, -3/+20"Kerry never even had a punchers chance in those elections."

    Last I remember, that election was pretty close.
  • billricardi, on 05/13/2009, -3/+20Both the Obama administration and our government over here in the U.K. need to do some house cleaning. This is a collaboration between the two governments to create plausible deniablity in a case of clear torture.

    To quote Glenn, "British government agents broke the law by collaborating in his torture." So to mutually cover asses, the U.S. makes a very public statement, and the cover up is complete.

    Both sides need to start firing people who make these sort of decisions, as they aren't being made at the congressional or presidential (or Parliamentary on the U.K.'s side) level. These situations require more hands on action by the people who MAKE the laws, and less by the people who BEND (and sometimes break) the laws (aka, the 'intelligence' agencies).
  • firesphotons, on 05/13/2009, -20/+37They could explain it by saying Obama's administration didn't authorize the torture and have since stopped it's practice. It's your boy's ass that's getting covered, you should be saying thank you. Meanwhile, it's clear evidence that any future President with shenanigans on his mind has been authorized to do his worst, thanks Obama sweep some more debuchery under the rug, don't forget to wear a flag lapel pin as you do it.
  • kemp34, on 05/13/2009, -5/+22Glen Greenwald is now being called a "wingnut" by the die hard Obamabots!!!!
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