Lynn C. Woolsey: “nothing has stained the honor of the United States in recent years like the use of torture against detainees, detainees…”

“nothing has stained the honor of the United States in recent years like the use of torture against detainees, detainees in Iraq and detainees elsewhere. Torture goes against our Nation's most basic values, and it undermines the American people's reputation as a compassionate and committed people to human rights. Torture is not only immoral; it has a practical damaging effect on our foreign policy. When America is involved in torture, we lose the moral authority that is our most powerful weapon in the fight against terrorism. How can we lead the world against terrorism when the world believes that we don't respect the rule of law ourselves? That is why I want to call attention to a new report on torture that was issued last week by the group Physicians for Human Rights. This group assembled a team of doctors and psychologists to evaluate former detainees held in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay. The team found that the detainees were tortured, even though no charges were ever brought against them or any explanation ever given for their imprisonment. The torture consisted of beatings, electric shocks, involuntary medication, shackling, and sexual humiliation. Other techniques were used, but they are far too awful for me to mention here. One Iraqi detainee who was held for a time in the notorious Abu Ghraib prison said he was subjected to psychological abuse as well as physical torture. He said that his captors threatened to rape his mother and his sisters.…”