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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
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December 2nd,
2008 - Guantanamo ‘a Stain on US Military’ |
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Guantanamo ‘a Stain on US Military’ By Gordon Corera BBC News December 2, 2008 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. His resignation has led to
charges against six inmates being dropped, at least for now, and called into
question the possibility of a fair legal process at Guantanamo. "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. "I went down there on a
mission and my mission was to convict as many of these detainees as possible
and put them in prison for as long as I possibly could," he told the
BBC. "I had zero doubts. I
was a true believer." But his zeal did not last
long. 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. A devout Catholic, Col
Vandeveld found himself deeply troubled by what he discovered. But the classified nature of
his work meant he was unable to share his growing doubts with friends and
family. As a result, he took the
unusual step of emailing a Jesuit priest called Father John Dear, who is a
well known peace activist. In his email, Col Vandeveld
talked of having "grave misgivings". Father Dear was initially
unsure if the email was serious and fashioned a quick reply. "I sort of didn't
believe it. But on the off chance he was a military prosecutor I wrote back
and said 'quit'." Col Vandeveld says his jaw
dropped when he read the email, adding: "I lived in dread of that
answer." But eventually he did resign
and has chosen to speak out about what he saw, giving the BBC his first
interview. "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." Cases dropped Col Vandeveld was
prosecuting six cases, including that of Binyam Mohamed, the last British
resident held at Guantanamo. After his resignation,
charges in these cases were dropped but with the possibility they may be
re-filed at any point. Col Vandeveld declined to
discuss details of Mr Mohamed's case and others which remain classified. But Binyam Mohamed's lawyers
say he was tortured as part of the CIA's extraordinary rendition programme
and are hopeful that he may not be charged again, on the grounds that this
might reveal too many details of the rendition programme. Col Vandeveld was forced to
undergo a mental status evaluation after expressing his concerns and his
military career is over. But he has returned to his
community in Erie where local newspapers have praised the stand he took. He
has no regrets. In response to his claims, a
Pentagon spokesman told the BBC: "We dispute Darrel Vandeveld's
assertions and maintain the military commission process provides full and
fair trials to accused unlawful enemy combatants who are charged with a
variety of war crimes." President-elect Barack Obama
has said he wants to shut Guantanamo but no-one thinks it will be easy. Col Vandeveld believes that
it is possible though. "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." External link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7761315.stm |