USS Cole Suspect Complains of Marks on Wrist; Victims Describe Their Torture
An incensed defense team complained at Guantanamo today that, while being transported from his cell to the courtroom, accused USS Cole bombing mastermind Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri got red marks on his wrist.
The forgotten victims of the October 2000 attack in the port of Aden, though, had a message for the al-Qaeda suspect: “Stop hiding like a little girl behind the skirts of Lady Liberty,” in the words of Sharon Pelly, wife of USS Cole sailor Joe Pelly. And to the media: remember who the real victims are.
Al-Nashiri’s lawyers alleged the abuse of their client took place on his way to an afternoon session to hear video testimony from Dr. Vincent Iacopino, author of the UN’s Istanbul Protocol on evaluating torture victims to build a case against offenders.
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Stephen Reyes began the session by telling Judge James Pohl about the “injuries” to al-Nashiri’s wrist, “some red marks” for which the accused terrorist requested and received medical attention. He asked that the marks be photographed right away, and sought immediate access to any video from the route between the cell and the courtroom.
“We’d like to get to the bottom of what happened,” Reyes said.
The prosecution had no objection to either request.
At a press conference after the day’s hearing, al-Nashiri’s civilian lawyer, Indiana criminal defense attorney Richard Kammen, said the red “scratch marks” were abrasions that would likely develop into bruises.
“He felt like the guards were very, very abusive,” Kammen said of his client, calling whatever happened “something that is certainly quite upsetting and it’s something that’s really quite disappointing.”
He blamed inconsistency in the changing of the guards and “not enough sensitivity, in our view, as to how these people are treated.”
“The people here are really not experienced in running a long-term detention facility, especially a detention facility that has a significant number of people who are damaged as a result of traumatic events,” Kammen charged.
Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, chief prosecutor of the al-Nashiri case, said his team would get to the bottom of what happened.
“We will certainly look into any allegations of abuse,” Martins promised, adding that the facility has a “humane” treatment standard continuously monitored by the Red Cross and international community.
Reyes argued in court that the wrist incident may stomp on his client’s rights by discouraging him from coming to the courtroom.
“The treatment to which Mr. al-Nashiri was subjected is a big, big issue,” Kammen said.
Testifying via video from a large, empty conference room, Iacopino said he has not met al-Nashiri, but examined one detainee in a federal case and reviewed documents for about a dozen others. As al-Nashiri faces a prosecution-requested competency evaluation — which ended this week’s planned motion hearings early — Iacopino said “there are many other skills required in interviewing victim of torture” aside from basic psychological evaluation, including “earning trust” of and “demonstrating empathy” toward someone like al-Nashiri.
“I do have a concern that the individual would be able to develop a trusting relationship based on past records I’ve reviewed,” Iacopino said, further noting that “alleged perpetrators” should not be responsible for transferring al-Nashiri or monitoring his exam.
He also said any existing records regarding al-Nashiri — presumably referring to his interrogations, at which the CIA admits he was waterboarded — would help corroborate the symptoms of PTSD that attorneys for the 48-year-old Saudi say he has.
“Actual allegations of abuse may be corroborated,” Iacopino said. “Very specific methods of torture or injury can be corroborated knowing the exact circumstances of the alleged abuse.”
Kammen later told reporters that Iacopino will help bring “requisite sensitivity” to the evaluation of al-Nashiri.
“You’re dealing with a person who comes from a very distinct population — a victim of torture,” he said. “If we’re gonna do this, if we’re going to subject Mr. Nashiri to this… let’s really do it right.”
Al-Nashiri is charged with murder, terrorism, and other counts in an attempted attack on the USS The Sullivans in January 2000, the attack on the USS Cole in October 2000, and an attack on the MV Limburg in October 2002. Seventeen sailors were killed and dozens injured when an explosive-laden boat rammed the Cole in the port of Aden, and one crew member was killed in the attack on the Limburg oil tanker.
And victims who got a chance at the microphone after the lawyers’ news conference today made clear they’ve had enough with al-Nashiri being treated as the victim.
Waah!
What we have here, and all over the place really, is a failure to label correctly. For starters, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (which in a step in the right direction, but a step too short, was changed from ‘Syndrome’ to ‘Disorder’), needs to be relabeled again as Post Trauma Complaints. Why? Because many of the formerly-called symptoms are completely subjective, i.e., they are self-described with no way to check their accuracy and differ from victim to victim.
Joe has “bad dreams” and “irregularity”. Juan has “night trembles and flashbacks”[FB: whatever "flashbacks" means, memories I guess]. Izzy feels fear without an obvious cause and has headaches. Etc. It seems probable that the main cause of this ‘ailment’ is the desire for more free stuff from Uncle Sam. This news is related:
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/8830026-americans-disability-hits-new-record-192nd-straight-month
I recognize this might seem like an off-topic comment, but it seems poor labels are a problem underlying much of our political discourse and disagreements today. Red marks caused by handcuffs are guard-abuse? It seems to me any use of hand cuffs would cause some form of reddening, most especially if the prisoner is resisting forward motion.
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s war against the truth
http://illinoispaytoplay.com/2013/02/06/u-s-attorney-patrick-fitzgeralds-war-against-the-truth/
NEVER. TAKE. MUSLIM. PRISONERS.
That’s all there is and there ain’t no more.
Just one more case of Muslims playing Infidels like a drum.
Playing us like a drum is correct; that’s exactly what CAIR does and anyone else that follows quranic (read moronic)azdvice: “use their own rules against them” and “If al-Nashiri believes what he did is within his belief and that’s what Allah wanted or his god, well then man up, per se …and stop hiding behind our Constitution.” Well …. al – Knashiri IS “within his belief and that’s what allah wanted or his god”; trouble is … the quran is a creed of revengeful cowards; so to “man up” is not possible.
f.c.;
One need to look no further than Ft Hood, Texas to see your statement borne out. It appears the mighty US Army is afraid to try to “alleged” shooter in that massacre. Even money says that raghead traitor will never be tried.
Just one more example of why terrorists should be tried by military court, not civil courts. This civil court charade mocks justice and is comparable to a serial killer, rapist, torturer, crying he was injured while resisting arrest. To put either military, or civil, prison guards at increased risk for their own safety by demanding that they treat murderers with kid glove “sensitivity” is beyond absurd.
A self inflicted red mark from handcuffs on a killers wrist is newsworthy? When we shove his Hans in a meat grinder I might get interested.
To all my Navy friends and heroes that are still having to deal with the thoughts of this scum.
al-Nashiri needs to be glad I didn’t fly him into Cuba.
Reminding him of a famous quote from the movie ‘North by Northwest’
-
Spy Phillip Vandamm:
“Of course I am. Like our friends, I too believe in neatness, Leonard.
This matter is best disposed of from a great height, over water.”
Attention jihadists: The official policy of the United States vis a vis radical Islamic terrorists, and irregular soldiers of Mohammed shall remain FETEKE; find em, torture em kill em. Consider it tough love. Then, maybe those righteous leftwing lawyers can go back to chasing ambulances.
Sorry, I have a hard time feeling sorry for this sorry piece of excrement. I keep thinking about all the sailors he blew to pieces.
The double standard of these guys is despicable.
But even worse are their multicultural liberal enablers.
Over here in England we even have political prisoners whose only crime has been to say the unsayable.
See: “Two Racist Crimes” for more on this surreal story at:
http://john-moloney.blogspot.com/
It appears to me all moon god worshipers are hiding behind the Constitution to undermine American culture. Their 7th century laws do not belong in these United States.
Check all Mosques for weapons, and C-4. Just like Iraq, and Afganistan. Yea, I’m way off base on this one.
When all is said and done, can we execute the lawyers too?
Pal, I’ll tell you what’s torture. It’s watching Herr Obama take apart this nation brick by brick.
The USS Cole was not the victim of a terrorist attack. It was the target of a combat operation. In fact, this may be considered an example of an Iraqi-Al Qaeda operation. Consider that the Cole was en-route to maintain the sanctions regime against Iraq. Why is it so hard to recognized that Al Qaeda acted as a loyal ally, and took out the Cole in support of Iraq’s long-term war against the West?
That’s what military allies DO.
“Combat operations” are undertaken by the state actors of a hostile polity. The Cole was in a friendly port when it was hit by the irregular actors of a stateless entity that has no mandate but to attack. Not even a remotely similar beast.
The very fact that these vermin are still alive is an insult. Instead of letting them beat us with our rules, follow THEIR rules and saw their heads off with rusty hacksaws, with plenty of video to get the point across.
I just don’t get why we’re having trials for these animals. Take them outside and shoot them in the back of the head. Its better than what they do to our people. Hell, I’ll even provide the ammunition. I reload and its about 15 cents/round. And if they can’t find a .40 S&W pistol they can borrow mine. And if they have issues finding someone to do it, I’ll do it for travel expenses.
And yes, I can sleep at night. Putting down feral animals isn’t a problem.
Sexual assault reports rise at military academies. How is Pentagon responding? The Pentagon cites policy changes following the release of a study that found a 65 percent increase in reports of sexual assault at military academies between 2010 and 2011. By Anna Mulrine, December 28, 2011
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2011/1228/Sexual-assault-reports-rise-at-military-academies.-How-is-Pentagon-responding
There came a time when I was rearing my then teenaged son that I said to him, if you find yourself at the police station or the hospital every weekend you are making some big mistakes that have big consequences. Mr. al Nashiri, actions have consequences. You find yourself at risk for abrasions from handcuffs because you blew a hole in a US Navy ship and killed and injured American sailors. Stuff happens!
A 30-06 leaves a small hold and no marks. It costs less than a buck and it is the last word on the topic. These captives are foreign military people captured while trying to kill our people. they need to be treated as the evil they are. as mentioned, a 30-06 will do the job.
Oh poor baby, the cuffs were too tight and his little hands got numb and his little wrists developed red marks: Oh, the torture! Maybe they forgot to double lock the cuffs so the idiot couldn’t ratchet them down some more and make them tighter? Maybe the idiot did that on purpose for the sympathy vote?
The problem is this scum is still alive he should have been executed publicly in front of his scumbag buddies after he was doused in a bath of pig’s blood.
If it were up to me, that crybaby jihadist scum would have red marks around his neck, not his wrists, and they would be more than just “marks”.
Oh, Boo Hoo Hoo!
His cuffs were too tight.
The Horrors.
He’s lucky he’s not taking the dirt-nap he deserves.
Truly, there are too many lawyers in the world.
This guy is the leader who “blew up” a bomb next to a U.S. Navy ship. Crewmen were KILLED! Since our system of law gives MORE RIGHTS to the bad guy than the victim, he gets to complain about little “boo boos” on his wrist. So the families of the dead sailors have to see and hear how this piece of camel dung gets more attention……c’mon…….If the slain sailors were able to give advice on what to do with this “rat.” I’m sure they wouldn’t say “don’t make the cuffs to tight.”
Let me get this straight. It’s perfectly fine for this “administration” to have a kill list and to murder by drone an American citizen for being THOUGHT a ‘terrorist’ with out proof. Yet, here is a KNOWN terrorist who carried out attacks on our American military, but he gets to whine and cry for ‘red marks’ made from having handcuffs on? He’s to be PITIED??
Strap him up and have a lottery of the victims of the USS Cole to see who gets to pull the lever!
And yet, this site continually denounces Obama’s policy of simply zapping these monsters with drones, which is obviously the correct solution to these problems.
Opposed to it, just cuz Obama is the one doing it, for no other reason.
Treat the scumbag as he would be treated under Sharia law. Stone him then cut his head off. Today!
“It’s perfectly fine for this “administration” to have a kill list and to murder by drone an American citizen for being THOUGHT a ‘terrorist’ with out proof.”
Oh gee whiz, the idiot takes a “vacation” in Yemen, constantly associates with known Al Quaeda operatives, have publicly and enthusiastically proclaimed his commitment to Islamic terrorism via many public statements and written proclamations….. That he and his diseased family were zapped and flash-fricasseed by a drone demonstrates EXACTLY what Bush did wrong in the Jose Padilla matter.
There, Padilla was publicly branded as an “enemy combatant” but was inexplicably and gently “captured” (for some bad reason that was never fully explained) when he disembarked from a commercial airline in Chicago.
Had he really been an enemy combatant, one would have expected that upon ambling a few steps away from the airliner door, the rest of the passengers would have been astonished and appalled as his head violently turned into a pink mist and they were covered with bits of brain matter and shards of his skull.
This farce and the Major Hassan case result from political correctness and the idea “our precious diversity”. We are the laughing stock of the Islamic world. This amounts to a massive display of weakness – first Bush and now compounded by Obama. Our enemies think we are weak and they are right.
how politely can I say that I really don’t give a damn if this suspect got a sore wrist or anything else. When folks like him kill some of ours, let’s just kill him back and be done with it.
Oh for goodness sake. And the judge is looking into it? How about telling the guy to stop resisting and then he wouldn’t have any “red marks”.