CIA Torturers website remains online (photo geek)
Public declaration: I refuse to abide by censorship regarding “extremist sites” where rules do not include state torturers and killers!
I am making public my statement not to abide by censorship regarding writing on the War on Terror and referring to “extremist” websites when I am aware the rules are not applied equally to all. For example the websites of insurgent groups are often removed from the internet whereas the website of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who admit to promoting and carrying out torture of detainees, even killing remains online. I am sick of double standards. This is particularly significant given that both politicians and human rights groups are calling for prosecution of those involved in torture. See link,
“CIA torture report sparks renewed calls to prosecute senior US officials”
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/dec/12/cia-torture-report-prosecute-senior-us-officials
I also refer to websites of those who promote the manufacture of drones used on Gaza such as Elbit Systems which remains up and running. There is no censorship here, despite investigations into alleged war crimes by Israel during the recent bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Drones are among the weapons used in such actions.
Censorship inconsistencies also applies to any state that disappears, tortures, carries out extra-judicial killing and dumps bodies acting outside of the law. Accounts for those involved remain online. Such hypocrisy!
I am also aware that the public are often not being given an honest and accurate picture of what is happening in conflict zones and should be allowed to view a variety of material and information which may also improve their safety if they have greater awareness of the wider picture of governments and those who are declared the “enemy”. Remember the majority of the population followed Hitler and those who carried out his policies were later hung for war crimes. Those who questioned and resisted were wrongly shot for treason. Governments and intelligence agencies should never be above question or the law!
Shaker Aamer suffers ongoing torture and censorship in Guantanamo, never charged, never tried and cleared for release, twice. The website of CIA those that tortured Shaker incredibly remains online!
Ironically someone who is censored now is Shaker Aamer who has never been charged, tried, convicted but remains in Guantanamo DESPITE being cleared for release (not once but twice) while his torturers continue to operate freely on the internet without sanction. This is gross and an abuse of Shaker’s human rights and is in fact promoting state terrorism by the CIA. Shaker’s lawyer Clive Stafford Smith writes in the Guardian in relation to Shaker and the CIA torture report,
“the first problem, of course, is that I could not show him the report. The US may spend $2.7m for each prisoner, each year, on housing people beyond the rule of law, but Wi-Fi in Guantánamo does not work very well; and, even if it had done, the censors would not have let Shaker read it. Had it got to him, Shaker might have expressed strong views, but anything he said would have been censored with equal vigour”
I have written my arguements in relation to censorship before in April 2014 where I used the CIA website as an example of double standards in censorship. My concerns relating to Guantanamo have now been confirmed with the release of the Torture Report. My article on censorship can be read on the following link,
“Censorship double standards: State terrorist websites v insurgent websites”
I have myself been censored on a number of occasions in an effort to keep me quiet on the wrongdoing and lies of governments and corporations.
If I am threatened with any legal action, I will use this and expose much more in my defense as someone whose husband and brother in law were UNLAWFULLY killed by the state which includes both the US and UK!
Like Moazzam Begg, former Guantanamo detainee who was wrongfully detained in two countries, never charged, I welcome my day in court where the truth can be told. I not only have disturbing evidence related to my husband’s death but also in relation to many individuals tortured and murdered around the world!
Carol Anne Grayson
Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. (She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”)
Carol Anne Grayson (Radical Sister) blog 