Lt Col Darrel Vandeveld, former military lawyer, tells of Guantanamo HORRORS |
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Lt Col Darrel Vandeveld, former military lawyer, tells of Guantanamo HORRORS |
| Guest |
 Dec 2 2008, 04:01 PM
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Someone saying what we all know about Guantanamo Bay.
The tribunals used for putting suspects on trial at Guantanamo Bay are a "stain on America's military", a former military prosecutor has told the BBC in his first interview since resigning. For Lt Col Darrel Vandeveld, a devout Catholic, the twin responsibilities of religious faith and military duty led to a profound moral crisis. "I know so many fighting men and women who are stained by the taint of Guantanamo, so I'm here to tell the truth about Guantanamo and how a few people have sullied the American military and the constitution," he told me during an interview in his home town of Erie, Pennsylvania. A reservist, Darrel Vandeveld was called up as a military lawyer after 9/11 and served in Iraq, Bosnia and Africa. In 2007, he became a prosecutor for the military commissions which tried terrorist suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, a role he took enthusiastically. When he arrived, he says he found the prosecutor's office in chaos, with boxes scattered around the floor, files disorganised, evidence scattered in different places and no clear chain of command. And more seriously, he soon discovered that defence lawyers were not receiving information which could help clear their clients, including evidence that suspects had been "mistreated" in order to secure confessions. Accused of attack It was one case in particular, that of a young Afghan called Mohammed Jawad, which caused most concern. Mr Jawad was accused of throwing a grenade at a US military vehicle. Col Vandeveld says that in a locker he found indisputable evidence that Mr Jawad had been mistreated. After Mr Jawad had tried to commit suicide by banging his head against a wall at Guantanamo, Col Vandeveld says that psychologists who assisted interrogators advised taking advantage of Mr Jawad's vulnerability by subjecting him to specialist interrogation techniques known as "fear up". He was also placed, Col Vandeveld says, into what was known as the "frequent flyer" programme in which he was moved from cell to cell every few hours, with the aim of preventing him sleeping properly, and securing a confession. "I never suffered such anguish in my life about anything," he says, looking back over the period. "It took me too long to recognise that we had abandoned our American values and defiled our constitution." "No justice will be obtained at Guantanamo," he said. "And if that entails moving them (the suspects) temporarily to the US for trial: so be it." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7761315.stm |
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| Peons of Islam |
Dec 2 2008, 04:15 PM
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| 360 |
Dec 2 2008, 07:04 PM
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QUOTE (Peons of Islam @ Dec 2 2008, 04:15 PM)  Well said, - signed: Chairman, Islam's Usefull Idiots Inc (branch of Peons for Islam) Could just OFF em immediately and save them from all the horrors Attention: REGISTER / LOGIN to view the image! Those are the concerns of a Catholic Lieutenant Colonel of the US army. |
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| Islam's Usefull Idiots |
Dec 2 2008, 07:08 PM
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QUOTE (360 @ Dec 2 2008, 07:04 PM) Those are the concerns of a Catholic Lieutenant Colonel of the US army. He did not post it. |
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| Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 8th January 2009 - 01:41 PM |