Rare Interrogator Testimony Defeats Gitmo Torture Claim in Civilian Court

A newly declassified opinion in a Guantanamo prisoner lawsuit gives the most detailed picture yet of how U.S. authorities might overcome, to the satisfaction of civilian judges, allegations that torture taints key evidence.

U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle's Aug. 3 ruling [1] [PDF], unsealed yesterday, denies a Yemeni captive's bid to toss out confessions he claims were coerced.

www.propublica.org...

Apparently, Obama has decided that since he won't close Guantanamo, as promised, it is time to put on "expert" testimony to keep the prisoners there until they can decide what to do with them:

Huvelle was won over by the precision of the agent's testimony, given in person in her Washington, D.C., courtroom, and backed up by notes made at the time that al-Qurashi showed no signs of abuse. More than three pages describing his testimony are blacked out, but it's clear from the rest of Huvelle's opinion that she was impressed by the agent's recall of details, down to the tile floor of the interrogation room and the clothes he and al-Qurashi wore for their two-hour session.

The judge's ruling recounts the agent's medical and military experience, which began during Vietnam and included undergoing "abusive interrogations, simulated drowning, and overnight stress positions."

"This history makes it particularly likely that [Redacted] was able to accurately observe the physical and mental conditions of the arrestees whom he interviewed," Huvelle wrote, adding that the agent was a "credible and reliable witness."

So,is this what we can expect from the administration that vowed to close Gitmo by last January?

Torture is torture and I don't understand how it could ever be justified, testimony or no testimony. It's actually disgusting how we are treating people, irrespective and regardless of their alleged crime or action.

Our torture should speak volumes for how low, disgraceful and criminal our government has gotten. These actions are no better than those of tyrants we grew up despising.

This is one of the main reasons that we are hated around the world, just as the Nazis and Soviets were hated in their era.

--airspoon