Torture is a word that flows through conversations and out of the media very freely these days. It has become a comfortable part of the American lexicon in the years since the US invaded both Afghanistan and Iraq. Unfortunately, I think the word has been watered down to the point that its true meaning has faded and the true ramifications of torture have been forgotten.
In one of the documents most recently released by Wikileaks there is detail of the Bush administration strongly suggesting that the German government not proceed with the prosecution of CIA officials for the torture of Khaled El-Masri. According to the cable the administration’s “intention was not to threaten Germany, but rather to urge that the German Government weigh carefully at every step of the way the implications for relations with the U.S.”
In 2005, after the Germans declined, the ACLU brought a case in his defense and now almost six years later there has still been no justice for El-Masri and many of the other victims of torture.
It is important not to forget that human rights extend to all humans and that torture is unacceptable. The use of “enhanced interrogation methods” and torture in the press should not desensitize us to their severity. It is time for some "meaningful accountability."
To see the ACLU's work covering the Torture Program go to http://www.aclu.org/accountability