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Essay / CIA Torture of Detainees After Twin Towers Tragedy he New York skyline, seeing people jump thousands of feet into the air to avoid being burned alive. We recognize, remember and relive that fateful day every September 11 since 2001. The first attack on American soil since the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, September 11 plunged Americans into a state of fear, into years of war and , and above all, knowing that we are not safe from terrorism. In the years that followed, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) launched efforts to acquire intelligence from the terrorists behind the attacks by any means possible. This led to the construction of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and the shameful and inhumane torture suffered in the name of justice. Despite their barbaric tactics, malicious lies, and brutal persecution of human beings, the CIA's torture of detainees has had little or no impact on the safety of Americans from terrorist attacks. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay During World War II, Nazi Germany tortured civilians belonging to pseudonymous powers, prisoners of war, and those who They suspected they were being disloyal to their cause. . Many believe that torture worked for the Gestapo, Hitler's secret state police, however, "...most of their information [comes] from public information, informants and interagency cooperation" (Rejali). Certainly the Gestapo tortured, but its results were not substantial. After having “brutally tortured” the “senior leaders of the French, Danish, Polish and German resistance,” the Gestapo “failed to break them.” Darius Rejali, a Washington Post writer who actively studies the events of World War II, says that over the years of "collecting all the cases of 'successful' torture by the Gestapo...the number is small and the results [are] pathetic." Furthermore, why would the United States of America, a country that fought courageously to defend our nation and uphold our moral values, stoop to the level of a police force known for the genocide of millions Jews? Torture, in any case, is not the solution to terrorism. Additionally, detainees may provide false or misleading information in order to stop being tortured. There are many cases and examples of detainees giving false information or confessing to crimes they did not commit in order to end their suffering. An article by Michael Ignatieff of Human Rights Watch cites two examples: Magdalena Monteza and Bill Sampson. Monteza, a 19-year-old Peruvian student, was arrested for “alleged subversion”. Not only was the teenager tortured by her captors, but she was raped again and again until she confessed to "being part of a revolutionary cell." Monteza reportedly said: “I couldn't stand the torture, so I decided to sign [a confession]. I confessed to things I had never done” (Ignatieff). Additionally, Sampson shared his own story of torture in Saudi Arabia. Under pressure and fearing for his life, like Monteza, Sampson "...admitted to being part of a network responsible for bombings and murders" (Ignatieff). A final example, much more important for American torture, comes from Kahlid Sheikh Mohammed, the “mastermind” behind the September 11 attacks who arguably rejected the new era of torturein the United States. This man, who cost thousands of lives in the name of terrorism and shook the foundations of our country, repeatedly lied to CIA interrogators while being tortured. He was reported to have been submerged in water, or "drowned" by stimulation, 183 times. Once it was for "failing to confirm a 'suitcase nuclear' plot, which the CIA later deemed a hoax." Additionally, he was once again put on trial for producing a "fabricated confession about the recruitment of black Muslims in Montana" (Dilanian and Klapper). He was submerged and tortured in other ways. extremes, the other 181 times are unknown. Despite examples like this, many Americans believe that torture keeps us safe, even though this sentiment has continually been proven false. In an article by Ken Dilanian and Bradley Klapper of the Associated Press, a report "finds that the CIA's heavy-handed tactics did not make the United States safer after 9/11." The Senate Intelligence Committee wrote the report over a few years. This condensed 500-page review, published in late 2014, does not include the full investigation, which spans more than 6,700 pages. According to the article, "...'enhanced interrogation techniques' did not produce the results that really mattered...it cites CIA cables, emails and interview transcripts to refute the justification central to torture - that they thwarted terrorist plots and saved American lives" (Dilanian and Klapper). However, the CIA strongly disagrees, going so far as to assert that intelligence gathered through methods of torture. torture such as "sleep deprivation, stimulated drowning, slapping and slamming, and threats to kill, harm, or sexually abuse the captives' familiars", led to the assassination of Osama bin Laden in all. cases, this is the same agency that has broken international laws, such as the Geneva Conventions, that has lied to the American people and the United States government to whom they are accountable about their unconventional methods , which hurt physically, corrupted mentally and emotionally. marked hundreds of suspected terrorists. Ultimately, after reviewing more than 6 million documents relating to CIA torture, the Senate Intelligence Committee stated: "...they found no examples of unique, life-saving intelligence gleaned from coercive techniques,” and the report also “debunks the CIA’s claim [that] its practices led to the assassination of bin Laden” (Dilanian and Klapper). Alternatively, proponents of torture tactics invoke the hypothetical ticking bomb situation. This scenario plays out as follows: 1. A terrorist group reveals that it has planted a bomb in a metropolitan area, such as London, New York or Paris, 2. Officials, such as the FBI or CIA, find and capture the leader. of the terrorist group, 3. The leader knows the location of the bomb, but he refuses to divulge this information, 4. Torture ensues and, according to those who fiercely support this scenario, the leader will reveal the location in time to save and protect innocent civilians (BBC). In Monteza's and Sampson's stories, innocent people were forced to testify falsely about crimes they did not commit. On the other hand, Sheikh Mohammed, a well-trained and educated mastermind behind an attack similar to that discussed in the time bomb scenario, withstood over 183 stimulated drownings among other torture techniques that the CIA and the government will not share with the American people. If a real and substantial example of a..
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