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Iraq
Call him prisoner of woe
2003-12-17
EFL:
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made it clear yesterday that Saddam Hussein is not classified as a prisoner of war - and that’s bad news for the ex-dictator.
Toldja he wasn't...
Legal experts said that denying Saddam POW status is a calculated move to allow the CIA to take extreme measures to get him to cough up information. POWs cannot be subjected to rough interrogations, put on trial or executed, according to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, of which the U.S. is a signer.
He was Head of State, even if he was the Commander in Chief of the Iraqi army, that doesn’t make him a POW.
Saddam’s location remained top-secret yesterday, although sources have said he is still in Iraq. When seen Sunday by Iraqi government officials, he was not manacled or wearing a prison uniform. But that was before the serious interrogation began.
Heh
"I have no idea how they’re going to interrogate," President Bush told ABC yesterday. "I do know that this country doesn’t torture." But that may be a fine legal point.
Could also be a statement of fact.
"The U.S. government is going to be prepared to do more than a U.S. police force is authorized to do under the Constitution" during questioning, said Catholic University military law expert Michael Noone. But that will not include physical torture, Noone added, saying "once you’ve resorted to physical force, you’ve lost."
No you haven't. You've simply used up all other avenues, to include giggle juice. (Who is this guy)?
Interrogating Saddam has been turned over to the CIA, a change that Rumsfeld called "a three-minute decision, and the first two were for coffee."
God, I do love Rummy. He’s a one-man quote machine.
Rumsfeld said Saddam is "being accorded the protection of a POW but he’s not being legally described as one at this stage."
Shouldn't be at any stage. And it's probably best to avoid sloppy terminology when talking about him. Al-Guardian picks up on that sort of thing...
"He, clearly, is being treated under the ... protections of the Geneva Conventions and is being treated humanely," Rumsfeld said.
Just not as a POW.
The Geneva Conventions outlaw the torture and execution of prisoners. But rulings by the European Court of Human Rights found that sleep or food deprivation, sustained noise, forced standing and sensory deprivation (called "hooding") are not considered torture.
See, we are just following international law.
"Those could all potentially be used to interrogate Saddam," said Detlev Vagts, an expert on the laws of war at Harvard University. "That’s the borderline." International accords do allow for trial and execution of "unlawful belligerents," and Iraqi leaders have called for their former ruler to be tried and executed upon conviction.
And you won’t find very many people more "unlawful" and "belligerent" than Sammy. Although, Chuck and Bob do come to mind. One thing at a time.

His category's not that of an unlawful belligerent, either. I think the category's called "politicals," which the lefties will use to describe him as a "political prisoner."
Posted by:Steve

#4  I do know that this country doesn’t torture
Obviously not a Red Sox fan.
Posted by: Shipman   2003-12-17 7:50:29 PM  

#3  No need to get violent. Sleep deprivation alone can break many prisoners. Loud noise, especially CONSTANT loud noise, can drive a man insane in a day or two. The United States has done some very in-depth studies into what kinds of psychological "incentives" work best to get a prisoner to respond in a positive way. Those studies have been refined by hands-on experiments in a dozen different places over the past thirty years, and are virtually foolproof. There's also evidence that physical torture tends to increase resistance, while psychological torture can make resistance appear futile. We know how to play the game, and we have people who are very, very good at it. Saddam will talk - in days, not weeks. Once he starts, it'll be impossible to shut him up!
Posted by: Old Patriot   2003-12-17 7:27:37 PM  

#2  But that will not include physical torture, Noone added, saying "once you’ve resorted to physical force, you’ve lost"

Lost ? Lost what ? The war ? Nope. The interrogation ? Hardly; after a good smacking, just pick up where we left off with non-violent methods. He'll break, as Rantburg Elder Spook has carefully explained to us...

I get annoyed by rhetorical farts like this statement by Noone.

Posted by: Carl in N.H.   2003-12-17 7:12:31 PM  

#1  International accords do allow for trial and execution of "unlawful belligerents..."
Well, perhaps it's open to debate whether or not Saddam is an unlawful belligerent, but the real point is that international accords do provide for the death penalty in certain cases, so Kofi Annan can go suck rocks if he doesn't like that.

Not that the Iraqis will need any external meddling or international blessing in the trial, which is an internal affair in any case.
Posted by: Dar   2003-12-17 5:40:19 PM  

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