|
Rumsfeld says there is no "Wiggle Room" on Torture
Exceprted from Rumsfeld and Karzai Press AvailabilityQ 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. Itâs required that people that are in custody be treated in a humane way. The only -- and I think thatâs probably the complete answer to your question. PRESIDENT KARZAI: Okay. SEC. RUMSFELD: Weâll take one more question. Pam. Q Sir, Pam Hess with United Press International. Iâd 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 thereâs some wiggle room in the definition of torture, or in this administrationâs attitude towards it. So could you address the apparent daylight between those two stands? SEC. RUMSFELD: Well, thereâs certainly no, as you used the phrase, "wiggle room" in the presidentâs mind or in my mind. The only thing I would say is that there are people who have suggested, for example -- and Iâll 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 doesnât 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 presidentâs mind or my mind about torture. That is not something thatâs permitted under the Geneva Convention or the laws of the United States. That is not to say that somebody else couldnât characterize something in a way that would fit what I described. -snip- Posted by: Super Hose 2004-06-15 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=35546 |