Torture in Eastern Europe Archive

This is an archive of the torture of Omerikans in Eastern Europe.

If you are reading this, but see no links, it means you have been denied the ability to access the links.

Hit the original content link and see the rest below. There is more stuff.

It appears the sites in Eastern Europe have been shut down; and personnel have been moved to Africa.



Reader Tip -- For more information: The Eastern European Torture Archive is located here.

We will update this information with additional links.

* * *

What you can do

If someone you know is missing, the Red Cross and Salvation Army may be interested in taking your information.

Indicator: Families told they went to Iraq to fight United States.

Allegation

Link: An unknown number of American Citizens are being held in Eastern Europe by the American Central Intelligence Agency for treatment contrary to what is permissible under the UN Charter against abuse.

Samples

Rendition: Lawsuit against CIA/Tenet.

Americans arrested for refusing to show ID -- likely DoJ-CIA-DoD would want to avoid this type of trial publicity, and move Americans to Eastern Europe or other place.

Report: Two desribe detention in Eastern Europe Other

Americans detained in Iraq, what to do with them?

Canadian court permits case against Bush for torture.

Rumsfeld sued US for war crimes.

CIA sued over rendition.

Argument

Torture, as defined by statute, is different than "abuse" under the UN Charter, which the US is a signatory. Because soemething is "not torture" does not mean it is "not abuse" or "condoned by the UN Charter."

Authorities

UN Convention Original US reservations; Final reservation Ref "The United States ratified the Convention against Torture in October 1994"

Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, G.A. res. 39/46, [annex, 39 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 51) at 197, U.N. Doc. A/39/51 (1984)], entered into force June 26, 1987.

Amnesty view on Torture.

USAM: 18 U.S.C. § 2340A OLC

18 USC 301 [ Ref: More; avoids problem of public comment; avoids issue of minority discrimination; also See Roger Daniel's Article Ref]

Nuremburg War Crimes Trial.

Link: American Case law

Statutes dovetailed with the alleged conduct in Eastern Europe.

Official Statements

The nature of the conduct engaged in by a [terrorist] enterprise will justify an inference that the standard [for opening a criminal justice investigation] is satisfied, even if there are no known statements by participants that advocate or indicate planning for violence or other prohibited acts Ref

"A group's activities and the statements of its members may properly be considered in conjunction with each other. A combination of statements and activities may justify a determination that the threshold standard for a terrorism investigation is satisfied, even if the statements alone or the activities alone would not warrant such a determination." Ref

Detention Centers

Link: Methodology to locate Eastern European detention centers housing American citizens.

Satellite photos requested; will they find underground locations?

Detention center Goose Creek for Americans mentioned, but dropped off the radar in 2002; how many were built for Americans in Eastern Europe? [ Ref

Link: Reports from previous prisoners detained in Eastern Europe.

He was then flown elsewhere, a flight that he believes lasted about 11 hours [from Yemen], with a one-hour stop-over. When he arrived, his surroundings were much colder, and he was interrogated by white men who spoke what he believed to be American English. . . . They were put into a windowless, underground facility, each was isolated in a tiny cell, and their jailers and interrogators spoke English with American accents. In April 2004, they were moved to a new facility with "no pictures or ornaments on the walls, no floor coverings, no windows, no natural light," according to the report. It was here that the guards dressed in all black.See "Indicators"

"The Pit" is the name of the underground facility. [Source: Daniel McGrory, American 'ghost prisoners' may yield vital clues, August 2, 2005, Tuesday; The Times (London)] Unconfirmed whether travel is to same location, or a bonafide different location:

Investigators for civil rights groups in the US say that the CIA uses guards speaking the same dialect to make a detainee believe he is being held in a certain Arab-speaking country.

After a few weeks the detainee is blindfolded, drugged and flown around in a plane for hours before he is taken to what he thinks is a different location but is back to the same pit with a different set of interrogators in a changed surround.

CIA agents reveal near-drowning techniques to torture.

Other articles

Interesting to contast the Eastern Europe detention facilites with the US Army manual governing similar activity stateside: Explore what did the CIA not want to "bother with"?

Americans Detained

Ref Following 9-11, there were over 70,000 arrested; 10,000 detentions; and 800 flights to Europe. It is possible some of the 10,000 have been moved to Eastern Europe.

Link: Unclear -- how many American Citizens are being unlawfully detained in Eastern Europe, without charge.

Link: 70% probability Americans are being, or have been, detained in Eastern Europe.

Link: Habeas ignored [Hamdi, Padilla, et al], courts overturn. Provides challenge to DoD and CIA to gather information without public comment; incentive to move detention overseas.

Link: Congress lobbied to allow CIA to commit torture, would not prevent torture against Americans overseas.

Link: Problem of detaining Americans stateside, solved by moving them overseas.

Link: Objective of overseas detention was to remove Americans from supportive environment, access to attorneys.

Link: DoD and DoJ unable to freely engage in domestic intelligence gathering without detection. Roadblocks detected, Operation Falcon detected, DoJ monitoring public discussion of Operation Falcon. Why the unusual concern about what the public was learning about possible violations of the Posse Comitatus Act? Answer: If move Americans overseas can commit violations of the Posse Comitatus Act [using military-like force against civilians] without court review.

Link: Pattern of conduct in detaining, abusing innocent without charges; poor screening; insufficient probable cause; accusations, not facts, used as basis for torture. CIA confirms they did not want judicial oversight on these matters, wanted to continue to detain people based on accusations not evidence -- logical reason to move Americans to Eastern Europe.

Link: Although Americans detained stateside using false evidence, CIA confirms that it did not want court oversight -- logical reason to continue detentions based on bogus information, but move them to Eastern Europe.

Alleged Detentions: Indicators of Censorship, Monitoring

Link: Apparent problems with key words being used.

Link: Discussion possible if key words not used.

Movement of personnel

Link: How Gulfstreams could be used to move Americans.

Link: DoD has a track record of monitoring movement of Americans.

Specific aircraft involved.

Movement through the UK and Canada N196D Image Image: Why would someone "from Iraq" fly first to the UK or Canada, then to Eastern Europe? It's more likely that they were being moved from the United States, with a stopover in either Canada or the UK, and then onward to Eastern Europe. [It makes no sense that they [a] started in a point further east than Eastern Europe; then [b] traveled to a point further west in the UK, Canada, or Malta, and then [c] backtracked to Eastern Europe.]

N196D was seen in Scotland on way to USA.

This is not the same aircraft, but the best I could find in re range: [It can't fly over the Atlantic; so there must be larger aircraft moving people from the US through Canada/UK]

Type: Air Tech CN-235M-100 two/three crew transport seat fighter.
Max Speed: 280 mph at 15,000 ft.
Climb Rate: 1,900 ft per minute.
Service Ceiling: 25,000 ft.
Range: 770 miles.
Payload: 48 troops, or paratroops, or 24 litters plus four attendants, or 11,023 lb of freight.

Interrogation methods

Link: Americans conduct falls below standards, willing to do it to Americans if convinced they were a "threat."

Link: CIA's connection to Iraq Wolf Brigade [ See: Operation CENTRA SPIKE ; Two names possibly providing training to CIA-trained personnel: James Steele Steven Casteel] More

Variety of methods used.

CIA discusses what was done: Near/actual death. Rember the Nazis' "cold water/ice" experiments? That information is being put into practice. [ Ref: See Nazi Doctors' Trials]

1930-1940s: 'The Nazis immersed their subjects into vats of ice water at sub-zero temperatures, or left them out to freeze in the winter cold'Ref [Note: At least seven [7] Nazi Doctors were executed for these experiments]

2001-2005: The Americans' COLD TREATMENT: 'The prisoner is left to stand naked in a cell kept at around 10C, and constantly doused with cold water. Misapplication of this technique is blamed for the death of a detainee in Kabul'Ref

Egyptians have used "simulated death by live burial."

Information Gleaned

Link: Used to mislead Congress, unreliable information is no deterrent to detaining Americans.

Link: Poorly sourced information timed to affect Congress and public.

Kangaroo Courts at Detention Centers

Link: Judicial oversight warranted at GITMO, and attorney comments and access complicate unfettered intimidation of detainees.

Lack of sufficient resources

Link: Discipline problem remains a threat to Americans detained overseas.

Link: Problems with manning, analysis, and high priority staffing suggest fast solutions, poorly trained guards at centers in Eastern Europe.

Link: Poorly disciplined law enforcement has no prospect of following Geneva Convention if they foolishly believe the issue is "war status," and ignore the UN Charter aginst abuse. Once prisoners are taken out of America, the abuses that are already committed in US prisons simply blossom to abusive torture.

Lack of judicial oversight

Link: Congress defers judicial review to Executive, sending signal to CIA that if enough information can be gleaned, Americans could be executed without court review.

Link: FBI wants National Security Letters without court overview, permitting NSL to be used to silence discussion of which Americans have been moved or been detained in Eastern Europe.

Link: Allies debate giving up civil liberties, confirming that Europeans are not immune to arguing against the UN Charter, and could be influenced to accept the detention of Americans is necessary for common security.

Link: Rubber Stamping the Patriot Act without adequate discussion, oversight, or discussion.

Link: Echelon confirmed as spying on Americans, but no court action.

Link: DIA engaged in domestic intelligence gathering, but no court action. Americans, if they are moved out of the spotlight, could be detained. The challenge would be to dissuade public discussion, knowledge of the American detentions.

Lack of Congressional investigation

Link: How times have changed since 2002 -- prospects of investigation are low, despite the secret camps.

Link: Witness Impeachment -- Rep Hoekstra [R-Mi], Chairman House Intelligence Committee, inconsistent statements in re Able Danger/investigations. Raises questions to credibility of Congressional leadership, seriousness to review the matters, even if they were informed.

Linnk: Senate Intelligence Committee allegedly linked by Sibel Edmonds to corruption, failure to investigate 9-11 and WMD; raises prospect that American detentions should not be timely investigated by Congress.

Link: Congress informed of treaty violations, but failed to act; raises potential that similarly couched arguments ["violations should be ignored if they serve the common good"] would get Senate leadership approval without debate or public discussion.

Link: Congress ignores Oath of office, a recurring habit and pattern indicating they can be persuaded to not do something they ought to do -- identify the specific nationalities of those detained in Eastern Europe.

Link: Naval vessels and other reports of gulags ignored; DoD and CIA have been linked to other detention centers, but nothing substantive has been done to review, investigate until the WaPo article.

Link: FOIA requests narrowed to exclude important information; remains unclear whether anyone would think to specifically ask about Americans being held, or whether DoD/CIA would respond to pointed questions..

Smearing the investigations

Link: Focusing on the source of report, not the original abuse. This doesn't address what is going on in Eastern Europe.

Link: Attacking, discrediting reporters [Newsweek, Isikoff] without solving the problem.

Link: Non-sense excuses don't add up, signs of a smokescreen.

Link: Smearing Durbin. Other efforts to silence Congress into accepting the illusion that America doesn't torture, despite there being no evidence to justify confidence that the misconduct has been corrected, or the abuses at GITMO/Abu Ghraib could not occur in Eastern Europe against Americans.

Distractions from the issue: How many Americans are in Eastern Europe?

Link: Falsified Joint Staff information [Iran], Joint Staff willing to use planning cells to spew forth non-sense information.

Link: Falsified threats [Syria] to justify other military actions, despite limited resources to effectively conduct these operations.

Link: Non-sense statements from White House, a pattern of not directly, timely responding to concerns related to detentions.

Link: Illusory reasons to justify mistreatment of Americans.

Link: Using 9-11 to "justify" violations of UN Charter against human rights, arguing over detainee status relative to war, but fails to address issue of American civilians.

Link: Excuses not to turn over material, requires specific questions, but no prospect the question will be timely addressed.

War Crimes Trial

Link: How to indict SecDef and Joint Staff

Link: Discovery -- White House Staff

Link: Discovery -- Joint Staff

Link: Discovery -- Echelon [US-UK transcripts]

Link: Tracking the witnesses

Link: Multi-agency communication and organization continues

Link: FOIA request confirms multi-agency involvement in detentions

Link: Rumsfeld identified as source of orders to detain personnel and mistreat them

Link US Attorneys have failed to adequately review the evidence of war crimes, and this amounts to reckless failure to assert their oath of office.

Litigation: Fatal Disclosures, Evidence

Ref After Hamdan CIA fatally admits they have to adjust procedures, otherwise confirming existence of detention centeres.

Ref NSA intermediaries involved in domestic surveillance are allegedly linked to the rendition efforts.

Ref Contractor discussions related to war crimes liabilities for rendition-NSA involvement have been disclosed to third parties, thereby destroying any claim to executive priviledge for either the rendition or illegal attorney-client monitoring activity.

Ref Details of the NSA's attorney-client intercept program.

Ref President admits the detention centers are real.

Ref Ref Despite Hamdan, DoJ Staff and Congress plan illegal trials, subsequent Geneva violations.

Ref Congress and the Executive, both complicit in illegal war crimes, illegally attempt to change the statutes related to liability, and unconstitutionally affect ongoing litigation. Their efforts prove meaningless and the court officers are reminded of the unconstitutional acts.