torture news stories on Newser

Court Kills Terrorist's Suit Against Bush Lawyer

Kevin Spak — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:37:05 CDT

Convicted terrorist Jose Padilla can't sue the Bush administration lawyer who helped craft the legal justification for torturing him—nor can any American citizen in the same predicament, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today. Padilla, an American citizen dubbed an "enemy combatant" in 2002, has been trying to...

Conclusion of 3-Year Probe: Torture Didn't Work

Kevin Spak — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:41:35 CDT

Senate Intelligence Committee Democrats are about to wrap-up a three-year investigation into the "enhanced interrogation techniques" the CIA used during the Bush administration, and sources tell Reuters that they've found "no evidence" that the tactics played "any significant role" in Osama bin Laden's death, and precious little that they produced...

Russia: We Won't Stop Arming Assad

Rob Quinn — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 05:41:18 CDT

Russia has rejected calls to stop arming and training Bashar al-Assad's regime, despite evidence that its weapons are being used against civilians. "Russia enjoys good and strong military technical co-operation with Syria, and we see no reason today to reconsider it," Russia's deputy defense minister said yesterday, insisting that existing...

UN Torture Chief: Manning's Treatment Cruel, Inhuman

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:04:19 CDT

The UN's torture chief has officially accused the US government of cruel and inhumane treatment of suspected WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning, the Guardian reports. The agency's special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez, investigated Manning's treatment for 14 months and found that Manning's 11-month solitary confinement was "at a minimum cruel,...

UN: Syrian Snipers Targeting Children

Rob Quinn — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 02:28:04 CST

Syrian army snipers are deliberately targeting women and small children, and its security forces are dragging wounded people out of hospitals to be tortured, according to a United Nations report accusing the regime of crimes against humanity. Fragmentation mortar bombs have been fired into densely populated neighborhoods, and the orders...

Libyan Detainees Tortured to Death: Amnesty

Matt Cantor — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:00:05 CST

Some of Libya's reported 8,500 detainees have died following torture, says Amnesty International, citing patients with open head, limb, and back wounds. "The torture is being carried out by officially recognized military and security entities as well as by a multitude of armed militias operating outside any legal framework,...

'20th Hijacker' Sues for Gitmo Torture Tapes

Mary Papenfuss — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:30:34 CST

The Saudi national accused of being the "20th hijacker" on 9/11 is suing the government to release what his lawyers call "sickening" videos of his torture at Guantanamo Bay. Mohammed al-Qahtani was the victim of "torture and other profoundly cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment," involving marathon interrogation sessions, sleep deprivation,...

Torture Kills Hundreds of Syrian Prisoners

Matt Cantor — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:45:14 CST

A suicide bomb in Syria's capital, reportedly aimed at a police bus, killed and wounded dozens today, the AP reports, as the country's political turmoil continues. And more disheartening news: A human rights group yesterday claimed that the government regularly tortures hundreds of prisoners; according to its research 617 have...

Afghanistan Probes Teen Bride's Torture

Matt Cantor — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 07:49:51 CST

Afghanistan's president has ordered an investigation following reports that a 15-year-old girl was locked in her in-laws' basement and tortured. Police say they rescued Sahar Gul last month after her parents said they hadn't seen her for months. The girl had been starved and "we saw her nails had been...