US to Be Grilled by the UN Committee Against Torture

The UN Committee against Torture is conducting meetings this month. It has allowed input from individuals and organizations. Recall the report submitted by a Harvard organization. Here’s an excerpt from one of our ex-prisoners:

My story is like many others. In 2001, while traveling in Pakistan, I was arrested by Pakistani police and sold to the U.S. military for a $3,000 bounty. In Kandahar, the U.S. military subjected me to electric shocks, stress positions, simulated drowning, and endless beatings. In Guantanamo, there was also psychological torture—I was stripped of my humanity, treated like an animal, isolated from the rest of the world, and did not know if I would ever be released.

Even though my lawyers proved that the U.S. knew of my innocence by 2002, I was not released until 2006. I lost five years of my life in Guantanamo.

Eight years later, I cannot believe that Guantanamo is still open and that there are almost 150 men detained there indefinitely. My time in Guantanamo was a nightmare, but I sometimes consider myself lucky. I know that part of the reason I am free today is because I am from Germany.

  Dan Froomkin: The Intercept

The proceedings of the committee are live-streamed here: http://www.treatybodywebcast.org/treaty-body-webcast-ii/ The US delegation will be questioned regarding our use of torture beginning at 4:00 am ET tomorrow.