Romania and Lithuania Accepted Secret CIA Jails, Court Finds

ALISON MUTLER and LIUDAS DAPKAS / The Associated Press May 31, 2018 The European Court of Human Rights rules that the two EU countries allowed the detention and abuse of a Saudi and a Palestinian at secret U.S. prisons. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Will U.S. Torturers Ever Be Held Accountable as War Criminals?

Marjorie Cohn / Truthout May 18, 2018 Gina Haspel's confirmation as CIA director sends a message to future administrations that those who authorize and facilitate torture will escape liability. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

Gina Haspel’s Disqualifying Record of CIA Torture

Amy Goodman and Denis Moynihan Mar 15, 2018 The newly appointed CIA director's career at the intelligence agency spans more than three decades. While her work is shrouded in secrecy, two things are well known. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

‘Bloody Gina’ Should Not Lead the CIA

John Kiriakou / Truthdig Mar 14, 2018 The nomination of CIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel to be the agency's new director returns the U.S. to the bad old days of torture and secret prisons. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Politics

Meet the CIA’s New Torturer in Chief (Video)

Eric Ortiz / Truthdig Mar 14, 2018 Gina Haspel, President Trump's pick to head the CIA, has played a key role in the agency's torture program—and in covering it up. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Man Who Captured Abu Zubaydah Says It’s Time to End His Ordeal and Send Him Home

John Kiriakou / Truthdig Aug 26, 2016 If the government decides you are an “enemy combatant,” you cannot defend yourself in court It’s a terrible precedent and a threat even to US citizens We should immediately release the alleged terrorist If the government decides you are an “enemy combatant,” you cannot defend yourself in court. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Charge Abu Zubaydah With a Crime or Free Him

John Kiriakou / Truthdig Jul 13, 2016 Al-Qaida's reported No. 3 operative is a bad guy, but he did not help plot the Sept. 11 attacks and has provided no actionable intelligence since his capture—and subsequent torture—in March 2002. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Terror Suspect Who Had Nothing to Give

Staff / Truthdig Jul 10, 2016 Abu Zubaydah’s sworn statement provides a chilling, first-person account of how U.S. officials tortured a man they wrongly believed was a top al-Qaida operative. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Guantanamo Bay Should Be Closed Forever

John Kiriakou / Truthdig Jun 21, 2016 The prison is the symbol of everything that is wrong with the United States’ so-called war on terror. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Exhibit One in Any Future American War Crimes Trial

By Rebecca Gordon / TomDispatch Apr 25, 2016 Even if the accusations against Abu Zubaydah had been true, what the CIA did to him—with the knowledge and approval of the highest government officials—is a prime example of the kind of still-unpunished crimes that officials such as Dick Cheney, George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld committed in the so-called global war on terror. Dig deeper ( 13 Min. Read )

Cheney and the Iraq-Torture Link

Joe Conason / Truthdig May 21, 2009 Defending their record in office these past eight years, figures from the last administration seem especially touchy on the subject of torture. Led by the former vice president, Dick Cheney, they have argued that there was no torture, preferring more vague and delicate terms such as "enhanced interrogation" or simply "the program." Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

What Did Pelosi Know?

Staff / Truthdig May 8, 2009 The official paper trail about torture has apparently caught up with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has claimed that she wasn't aware of the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" on suspected al-Qaida operatives -- but it now seems that she may well have been among the first to know. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )