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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Rumsfeld says there is no "Wiggle Room" on Torture |
| 2004-06-15 |
| Exceprted from Rumsfeld and Karzai Press Availability Q Mr. Secretary, Will Dunham with Reuters. Is torture justified under any circumstances? SEC. RUMSFELD: Our view in the United States has been that we adhere to the Geneva Convention, and we adhere to the laws of the land. And that means that torture is not permitted under the laws of the United States or under the Geneva Convention. It’s required that people that are in custody be treated in a humane way. The only -- and I think that’s probably the complete answer to your question. PRESIDENT KARZAI: Okay. SEC. RUMSFELD: We’ll take one more question. Pam. Q Sir, Pam Hess with United Press International. I’d like to follow up on that. While that is the stated policy of the United States, memos and legal documents outlining possible defenses in the event of a torture case coming to a criminal court have been revealed, and it creates an impression that maybe there’s some wiggle room in the definition of torture, or in this administration’s attitude towards it. So could you address the apparent daylight between those two stands? SEC. RUMSFELD: Well, there’s certainly no, as you used the phrase, "wiggle room" in the president’s mind or in my mind. The only thing I would say is that there are people who have suggested, for example -- and I’ll use this by way of illustration -- that a person being held in, for the sake of argument, Guantanamo, who does not know how long they will be held, some people would characterize that as the uncertainty of not knowing when they might be tried or released as a form of mental torture. Therefore, that word gets used by some people in a way that is fair from their standpoint, but doesn’t fit a dictionary definition of the word that one would normally accept. So the answer to your question is no. There is no wiggle room in the president’s mind or my mind about torture. That is not something that’s permitted under the Geneva Convention or the laws of the United States. That is not to say that somebody else couldn’t characterize something in a way that would fit what I described. -snip- |
| Posted by:Super Hose |
| #4 As long as there's wiggling going on in the sex room I guess we're okay... |
| Posted by: Fred 2004-06-15 7:16:29 PM |
| #3 Q: Clue Less from Zombie News International. Is it true that shuffle ball is being withheld from certain Gitmo detainees? Isn't that a form of torture? SEC. RUMSFELD: No, the accusation from the International Red Cross is incorrect. What is true is that certain detainees preferred that their shuffle board time be better spent by having US guards peel grapes for them while lounging at the beach. |
| Posted by: Capt America 2004-06-15 11:06:24 AM |
| #2 No sex in the Wiggle Room, that's only permissionable under the auspices of the UN. |
| Posted by: Capt America 2004-06-15 10:59:15 AM |
| #1 There is no sex in the Wiggle Room. |
| Posted by: Chris W. 2004-06-15 9:09:15 AM |