The 26th of June is the annual United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Accordingly, I would like to share with you some words by Alaskan journalist Dahr Jamail, who testified at the World Tribunal on Iraq, which is currently in session in Istanbul, Turkey.
Jamail provided chilling testimony on prisoner abuse and the deplorable living conditions of most Iraqi civilians, based on his findings during his extensive time in Iraq since the start of the U.S. invasion and occupation.
An excerpt:
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In May of 2004 I interviewed a man who had just been released from Abu Ghraib. Like so many I interviewed from various US military detention facilities who'd been tortured horrifically, he still managed to maintain his sense of humor.
He began laughing when telling me how CIA agents made him beat other prisoners. He laughed, he said, because he had been beaten himself prior to this, and was so tired that all he could do to beat other detained Iraqis was lift his arm and let it drop on the other men.
Later, he laughed again as he told me what else had been done to him, when he said, "The Americans brought electricity to my ass before they brought it to my house."
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[Read his complete testimony.]
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