On August 01, 2014, President Barack Obama addressed in a press conference concerning the assigned Senate Committee 's report on the Central Intelligence Agency involving torture used in interrogation. “We did a whole lot of things that were right, but we tortured some folks. We did some things that were contrary to our values.” (Obama) The report was completed and a summary was released to the public December 2014. Since then, the use of torture has been on the minds of Americans and discussed on the news channels. Torture is prohibited by the Geneva Convention III as a means to extract information from POWs. (N.A, Art. 17) But some argue that, terrorist cells, acting independently of country, are not protected under those laws. If torture
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Abu Zubaydah disclosed a plot involving two individuals planning to detonate a radioactive dispersal device I.E. “dirty bomb.” Abu Zubaydah could not remember the names of the two individuals or if the plan was even feasible. Months later, Jose Padilla was apprehended planning such a plot but intelligence agent working on the case informed that information given about the plot from Abu Zubaydah did not assist in anyway. (Feinstien, pg 43) The information KSM divulged two other plots on American soil, but only after two high ranking members were captured. KSM was said to “...fabricated information in order to tell CIA interrogators 'what he thought they wanted to hear” (Feinstien, pg. 160) KSM became unreliable during torture because the condition that put him under duress caused him to panic and make up information. The abandonment of torture has very real rewards, yet there are things to be considered; that of the ticking time-bomb scenario. The scenario states that torture can be admissible if there was a situation in which a bomb is planted within an unknown area endangering civilians. The only way the location could be uncovered is by torturing a known associate to the plot in custody. Thus, only in extreme time-centered cases would torture be admissible. However, there are odd inconsistencies to that …show more content…
Is the there the right people to administer the torture to get the information in place? How much time before said bomb goes off would be needed to justify torture? A year? A month? The logic behind the scenario also could allow any morally unjustifiable action, for example, commit X(murder, genocide, rape) to save multiple lives. The situation in which the ticking time-bomb applies must be unambiguous situation, which intelligence agencies have yet have encountered on record. On 16 June of this year, the Senate passed an amendment to Nation Defense Authorization Act prohibiting torture of any kind to be used on detainees under U.S. Custody. If the amendment makes it further into legislation, the U. S. could ban any form of torture outright. It stands to reason even if the practices were not banned, they still would prove to be ineffective and damaging to any
Abu Zubaydah disclosed a plot involving two individuals planning to detonate a radioactive dispersal device I.E. “dirty bomb.” Abu Zubaydah could not remember the names of the two individuals or if the plan was even feasible. Months later, Jose Padilla was apprehended planning such a plot but intelligence agent working on the case informed that information given about the plot from Abu Zubaydah did not assist in anyway. (Feinstien, pg 43) The information KSM divulged two other plots on American soil, but only after two high ranking members were captured. KSM was said to “...fabricated information in order to tell CIA interrogators 'what he thought they wanted to hear” (Feinstien, pg. 160) KSM became unreliable during torture because the condition that put him under duress caused him to panic and make up information. The abandonment of torture has very real rewards, yet there are things to be considered; that of the ticking time-bomb scenario. The scenario states that torture can be admissible if there was a situation in which a bomb is planted within an unknown area endangering civilians. The only way the location could be uncovered is by torturing a known associate to the plot in custody. Thus, only in extreme time-centered cases would torture be admissible. However, there are odd inconsistencies to that …show more content…
Is the there the right people to administer the torture to get the information in place? How much time before said bomb goes off would be needed to justify torture? A year? A month? The logic behind the scenario also could allow any morally unjustifiable action, for example, commit X(murder, genocide, rape) to save multiple lives. The situation in which the ticking time-bomb applies must be unambiguous situation, which intelligence agencies have yet have encountered on record. On 16 June of this year, the Senate passed an amendment to Nation Defense Authorization Act prohibiting torture of any kind to be used on detainees under U.S. Custody. If the amendment makes it further into legislation, the U. S. could ban any form of torture outright. It stands to reason even if the practices were not banned, they still would prove to be ineffective and damaging to any