But this is an historical document, right? President Barack Obama shut down the black sites and the extraordinary renditions program immediately after taking office, right? Well, not entirely. Consider the recent rendition of a Lebanese businessman accused of petty contract fraud, Raymond Azar. The first stage of these guidelines was followed with precision. He was seized in Afghanistan by U.S. Justice Department operatives. They claim they had the approval of the Afghan government. The Afghan government disagrees, saying it has no record of ever having permitted the “snatch” of Azar.
According to papers filed by his lawyers, Azar was presented with “capture shock,” stripped naked, subjected to a body cavity search for “health reasons,” was shackled, subjected to hypothermia and sleep deprivation, and then was transported in a Gulfstream with the requisite hood, blindfold and earmuffs.
When pressed on this in court, the Justice Department claimed it was only following “standard procedures.” The CIA memo shows that this claim is accurate: it was following standard procedures for extraordinary renditions, which were approved in a series of now-rescinded memoranda prepared by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. The Justice Department also claimed, in papers filed with the court, that the extraordinary measures were taken out of concern for the safety and security of the prisoners and the government agents involved. But on this point, the Justice Department is now revealed as being guilty of what at a minimum would be called a “failure of the duty of candor” to the court.
Saturday 29 August 2009
New CIA Docs Detail Brutal "Extraordinary Rendition" Process ☀
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