The Durbin Torture Amendment (mentions sensory deprivation,

[N.I.]

http://http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=91568

Floor Statement of Sen. Richard Durbin On the Durbin Torture Amendment June 16, 2004

[this is just an excerpt, the whole (proposed) amendment at the link above is worth reading, as it goes into sleep deprivation and position abuse, and also mentions public humiliation]
"Army regulations that implement these treaty obligations state:

Inhumane treatment is a serious and punishable violation under international law and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. All prisoners will receive humane treatment without regard to race, nationality, religion, political opinion, sex, or other criteria. The following acts are prohibited: murder, torture, corporal punishment, mutilation, the taking of hostages, sensory deprivation, collective punishments, execution without trial by proper authority, and all cruel and degrading treatment. All persons will be respected as human beings. They will be protected against all acts of violence to include rape, forced prostitution, assault and theft, insults, public curiosity, bodily injury, and reprisals of any kind This list is not exclusive."

[N.I.]

from the Amendment mentioned above, regarding position abuse:

"Another example is "position abuse.'' In 2002, in a case called Hope v. Pelzer, the Supreme Court addressed this issue. Hope, a prisoner, was handcuffed to a "hitching post'' for seven hours in the sun and not allowed to use the bathroom. The Court held that this violated the 8th Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The Court said:

The obvious cruelty inherent in this practice should have provided [the prison guards] with some notice that their alleged conduct violated Hope's constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment. Hope was treated in a way antithetical to human dignity--he was hitched to a post for an extended period of time in a position that was painful, and under circumstances that were both degrading and dangerous."

[N.I.]

If anyone would like to specifically comment on any of the abuses mentioned in the article, please do, especially "position abuse", which I don't think has been discussed much in regards to Straight. Was anyone marathoned by being forced to stand?

[Froderik]

Yes. I witnessed this sort of thing in VA straight in 1983. They made one guy climb up and down a ladder all day. Another guy they made stand on a skateboard all day, maybe because they thought that he was 'sliding by..'

[Anonymous]

Leigh Bright was forced to stand for 12 hour periods while her guards screamed at her that she was a whore.
http://thestraights.com/case-histories/leigh_bright.htm

Marcie Sizemore was forced to stand for 9 1/2 hours while she was abused:
http://thestraights.com/case-histories/ ... zemore.htm

Bobby was forced to stand for several hours during his ordeal at Straight - Sarasota:
http://thestraights.com/case-histories/bobby.htm

You're doing a great job N.I.

Wes Fager

[N.I.]

Thanks Wes and froderik13!

this is the text of the amendment:
[The link that was here does not work, I am looking for a good one.]

I had said above that it was a proposed amendment, however, it passed in both the House and the Senate, and I also found a report that President Bush signed it into law in October. The amendment goes with the Defense Authorization bill, s.2400. I am trying to find a good source to verify that the pres. signed it.[ This Message was edited by: N.I. on 2005-01-05 19:10 ]

[N.I.]

Jan 5: It looks like the version the president signed into law had deleted Durbin's amendment regarding torture and the humane treatment of detainees. I will try to verify this with the Senator's office. However, at least part of the intent of Durbin's amendment was to reaffirm laws that already exist regarding torture. For example, paragraphs 6 and 7 refer to Army Regulations, international law and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Surely laws that protect enemy combatants are good enough for children who are citizens of the United States.

Recent posts to this forum, for example in the Marathoning thread, mention specific incidences of torture.


The link in the post above doesn't work anymore. Try this one for some connections to other documents on torture:
http://http://durbin.senate.gov/sitepages/Issues/OIF-prisonerabuse.htm.  When I find a good link for Durbin's amendment I'll put it here.[ This Message was edited by: N.I. on 2005-01-05 16:53 ]

[N.I.]

(6) Army Regulation 190-8 entitled `Enemy Prisoners of War, Retained Personnel, Civilian Internees and Other Detainees' provides that `Inhumane treatment is a serious and punishable violation under international law and the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)....  All prisoners will receive humane treatment without regard to race, nationality, religion, political opinion, sex, or other criteria.  The following acts are prohibited: murder, torture, corporal punishment, mutilation, the taking of hostages, sensory deprivation, collective punishments, execution without trial by proper authority, and all cruel and degrading treatment....  All persons will be respected as human beings.  They will be protected against all acts of violence to include rape, forced prostitution, assault and theft, insults, public curiosity, bodily injury, and reprisals of any kind.... This list is not exclusive.'.

(7) The Field Manual on Intelligence Interrogation of the Department of the Army states that `acts of violence or intimidation, including physical or mental torture, threats, insults, or exposure to inhumane treatment as a means of or an aid to interrogation' are `illegal'.  Such Manual defines `infliction of pain through... bondage (other than legitimate use of restraints to prevent escape)', `forcing an individual to stand, sit, or kneel in abnormal positions for prolonged periods of time', `food deprivation', and `any form of beating' as `physical torture', defines `abnormal sleep deprivation' as `mental torture', and prohibits the use of such tactics under any circumstances.

[Antigen]

I wittnessed part of what was done to Bobby. He was forced to stand for more than a few hours. I'm pretty sure there was at least one night that he was made to stand all night. There was also a whole lot of banging and screaming and crying coming out of that room. He was also "sat on" for hours at the side of group. That means that he was placed on his back and pinned to the floor by his arms, legs and torso. Sometimes they'd cover your mouth and nose as well.

I was sat on for a couple of hours. I was marathoned for a couple of hours (though, in light of how long most people spent in timeout, I don't even want to call it a marathon)

So were many others. I wish I had been paying more attention and could recount specific names. But, basically, anybody who refused to sit up straight, tried to walk or run away, yelled back when being yelled at and provoked or otherwise displayed any level of defiance was sat on and/or marathoned.

If you nodded off in group you were made to stand at the side of group. In St. Pete, Group was huge; several hundred people. And some of the other newcomers mistook me for a Vth Phaser when I had to stand. Too funny!

Sleep deprivation was part of the routine. Between time spent in the building and time spent coming and going and the mandatory MIs, neither clients nor parents ever got much more than about 4 hours a night. On Open Meeting nights, that could be as little as 1 - 2 hours. I remember going in to the building w/ wet hair from our showers the "night" before. There were rules against sleeping in the car on the way to and from the building or in the intake rooms before group. Some of us had to spend a couple of hours in those intake rooms in order for the oldcomers who dropped us off to make it to school on time and their parents make it to work on time.

And it was not unheard of for staff to instruct oldcomers to take shifts to keep a rebellious newcomer awake overnight for one or more nights.

Public humiliation was part of the day-to-day routine. I remember a girl being stood up to explain and apologize for 'doing the necessary things' to make staff and her parents force her to have an abortion. That sort of thing was fairly typical. Everybody was pressured to divulge every last personal detail and private thought. That was part of the definition of "honesty" (the first and most impotent rule).

We were required to sing nursery rymes w/ hand motions and all. On several occasions, all newcomers were required to get bad haircuts. Girls had to wear their hair tied back in too many barrettes. I know these things sound petty, but taken together in the full context, they were not petty at all. Some people were denied permission to use the bathroom until after they wet themselves or (girls) bled through their clothing and then chastised in front of group for it.

I could go on and on.

The question before the human race is, whether the God of nature shall govern the world by his own laws, or whether priests and kings shall rule it by fictitious miracles.
--John Adams, U.S. President

_________________
Ginger Warbis ~ Antigen
Seed sibling `71 - `80
Straight South (Sarasota, FL)
   10/80 - 10/82
Anonymity Anonymous
Some days, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps.

[Anonymous]

ok so where does this lead? somewhere? nowhere? 20 years ago they made me stand up? does it still happen to you or someone that can speak out from their place of harmful treatment? can you prove this happened? someone has to officially complain about it first don't they? it's all hearsay to the courts unless it can be proved. do you have video or tapes of these alleged allegations? how do you plan to prove this happened(ing)  ::

[Antigen]

20 years ago they did it to you and me. More than that. They were able to influence us to such an extent that many of us participated in doing the same to others and didn't see anything too wrong with it.

Today, they may be doing it to a kid in Lake Worth and another in Alberta. And others in the industry are doing it to American kids in Jamaica, Utah, Missouri and other places. Those kids and the adults who love them might testify to these abuses and would sure help their case if their lawyers could count on us to corroborate that, unbelievable as it is, this has been going on for decades.

When an innocent Californian millionaire gets killed by a drug squad
trying to seize his house with a bogus search warrant, people better ask themselves if they really want to turn their cops into money-makers.
--Vancouver Police Const. Gil Puder

[N.I.]

To anonymous poster: Those are all good questions, worth further research. If you were to call a law enforcement agent and tell them (for example) that you were forced to stand up for a long time twenty years ago, what are they going to do for you? However, I believe that all of the stories put together are immensely significant.

I would suggest keeping a written record of your memories of Straight, as well as getting copies of any medical, psych and school records that could help verify information.

[Antigen]

At the very least, ppl who come across this site after so many years cause they just woke up from one of those fucked up dreams can find out the truth. The truth is that decent people just don't treat human beings like that. Even in times of war, even if we're scared shitless of them, even when our commander in chief tries to convince us that they're damned evil. We just don't do these things to human beings. And I think everyone who's been through a program like Straight ought to understand that.

To say the drug war is a failure is like saying the Hindenburg was short a few fire extinguishers.
http://mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n808/a10.html' target='_new'>Carl Hiassen

[N.I.]

I agree. It has been vindication to me to find that the Army, no less, considers the things that were done to us to be crimes.

[rebeccaramirez]

Wow, I feel so sorry for what you all went through.  It makes me angry to read about your experiences.  There is just no excuse for that.  Absolutely no respect for human life at all.