Law Commons^™

The Dark Sides Of Convergence: A Pro-Civilian Critique Of The Extraterritorial Application Of Human Rights Law In Armed Conflict, Naz K. Modirzadeh

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

They Did Authorize Torture, But..., David Cole

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Holding The High Ground: The Operational Calculus Of Torture And Coercive Interrogation, Joseph L. Falvey Jr., Brian D. Eck

Campbell Law Review

In Part I of this Article, we first consider some of the strengths and weaknesses of the partially adequate objections. In Part II, we explore torture in light of the biological distinction between pain and suffering and consider the implications of that distinction for our understanding of free will and the fighting spirit. Finally, in Part III, we suggest a more fundamental view of torture that navigates between the Scylla of naive moralizing and the Charybdis of ticking time-bombs. We propose that the debate should focus on torture's effect on our country's moral certainty, on the fighting spirit of our …

The Object Of Torture Is Torture: Extraordinary Renditions To Jordan And Human Rights In The War On Terror, Kat Mitchell

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Hassan Saleh bin Attash, a Yemeni national, was just seventeen at the time of his September 2002 arrest in Pakistan. The young man spent four days in a Karachi prison before being taken to a United States-run prison in Kabul, where he was held and allegedly tortured through the middle of September. He was then rendered to Jordan.

A Dark Descent Into Reality: The Case For An Objective Definition Of Torture, Michael W. Lewis

Michael W. Lewis

Abstract The definition of torture is broken. The malleability of the term “severe pain or suffering” at the heart of the definition has created a situation in which the world agrees on the words but cannot agree on their meaning. The “I know it when I see it” nature of the discussion of torture makes it clear that the definition is largely left to the eye of the beholder. This is particularly problematic when international law’s reliance on self-enforcement is considered. After discussing current common misconceptions about intelligence gathering and coercion that are common to all sides of the torture …

Torture, Impunity, And The Need For Independent Prosecutorial Oversight Of The Executive Branch, Fran Quigley

Fran Quigley

When executive branch misconduct is alleged, an inherent conflict of interest is presented by investing prosecutorial discretion in a U.S. Attorney General appointed by, and serving at the pleasure of, the President.

Various commentators, including Justice Antonin Scalia, Professor Stephen Carter, and the many critics of the former independent counsel statute, have posited that this conflict will be overcome by checks on executive power provided by the legislative branch, the judiciary, and political pressure.

That sanguine view of adequate executive branch oversight was put to the test when acts of torture were authorized by high-level members of the George W. …

Human Rights Abuses In 1970s Argentina, Vanessa Gomez

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

In this paper I address various components to the human rights abuses in Argentina in the 1970s. The domestic political situation is analyzed with particular attention paid to the political culture and the history of the regime. Media outlets and interviews by victims are used to facilitate first-hand accounts of the regime. The international arena and the efforts of human rights groups are mentioned as a means to demonstrate the international implications of the regime. I wrote this paper to further my knowledge on human rights abuses and further the knowledge of all who read my attempt. This essay marks …

A Dark Descent Into Reality: Making The Case For An Objective Definition Of Torture, Michael W. Lewis

Washington and Lee Law Review

The definition of torture is broken. The malleability of the term "severe pain or suffering" at the heart of the definition has created a situation in which the world agrees on the words but cannot agree on their meaning. The "V know it when I see it" nature of the discussion of torture makes it clear that the definition is largely left to the eye of the beholder. This is particularly problematic when international Law's reliance on self-enforcement is considered After discussing current misconceptions about intelligence gathering and coercion that are common to all sides of the torture debate, this …

Torture And The Interrogation Of Detainees, James P. Terry

Campbell Law Review

Following the September 11, 2001, attack on the United States by al Qaeda, the United States captured a number of "high value" detainees who were believed to have knowledge of imminent terrorist threats against our nation and its allies. CIA operatives, who understood that the use of torture is unlawful under both international and domestic law, and above all, is abhorrent to American values, interrogated the high value detainees. The United States rejects torture as a means to garner information - a fact reflected in our domestic criminal law, but also by the country's signature on the United Nations Convention …

All Human Rights Are Equal, But Some Are More Equal Than Others: The Extraordinary Rendition Of A Terror Suspect In Italy, The Nato Sofa, And Human Rights, Eric Talbot Jensen, Chris Jenks

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

On November 4, 2009, an Italian court found a group of Italian military intelligence agents, operatives from the Central Intelligence Agency and a U.S. Air Force (USAF) officer guilty of the 2003 kidnapping of terror suspect Abu Omar. Thrown in a van on the streets of Milan, the abduction took Abu Omar from Italy to Egypt, where he was allegedly tortured and interrogated about his role in recruiting fighters for extremist Islamic causes, including the insurgency in Iraq.

This essay posits that lost amidst politically charged rhetoric about Bush administration impunity and the “war on terror” is that the Italian …

Opening Remarks: Remarks Of Widney Brown, Widney Brown

Human Rights Brief

No abstract provided.

Keynote: The Role Of The United States In Strengthening The Prohibition Against Torture, Michael Posner, Claudio Grossman

Human Rights Brief

No abstract provided.

The Sacrificial Yoo: Accounting For Torture In The Opr Report, David Cole

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

When the Justice Department finally released the report of its Office of Professional Responsibility on the “torture memos,” recommending that the initial torture memo’s authors, John Yoo and Jay Bybee, be referred for bar discipline, John Yoo declared victory in op-eds in the Wall Street Journal and Philadelphia Inquirer. The report itself concluded that Yoo and Bybee had acted unethically, and quoted many of Yoo’s successors in office as condemning the memos as, among other things “slovenly,” “riddled with error,” and “insane.” But Yoo claimed victory because Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis vetoed its recommendation that he be referred …

A Dark Descent Into Reality: Making The Case For An Objective Definition Of Torture, Michael W. Lewis

Michael W. Lewis

The definition of torture is broken. The malleability of the term “severe pain or suffering” at the heart of the definition has created a situation in which the world agrees on the words but cannot agree on their meaning. The “I know it when I see it” nature of the discussion of torture makes it clear that the definition is largely left to the eye of the beholder. This is particularly problematic when international law’s reliance on self-enforcement is considered. After discussing current common misconceptions about intelligence gathering and coercion that are common to all sides of the torture debate, …