All the sneaky little softening up terms we've had thrown out at us in the last few years -"taking off the kid gloves", "big boys rules", "torture-lite", "forceful interrogation". And the academics and the media pundits selling us the idea that a ban on torture is unrealistic and outdated.

But when a little bit of the truth of what's been going on in our name starts to leak out, the pawns who've been doing the dirty stuff as required, get to carry the whole can of worms.

Here's a letter in today's Guardian about this from a Christian organisation concerned for human rights:

The pictures showing the abuse of prisoners are not the first evidence of torture by US troops. In early January, Christian Peacemaker Teams presented the Coalition Provisional Authority with a report containing 72 case studies of the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners, including torture.

Between May and December 2003, they conducted dozens of interviews and gathered testimonies from prisoners and their families. The report showed that often detentions involved acts of violence and abuse, as well as theft and destruction of personal property. Some prisoners said they were left with their hands tied behind their backs for several days, that they received only one spoonful of army-rationed food a day, and were deprived of water. The also recounted frequent beatings by US soldiers.

The report challenges the suggestion the US military did not know what was going on, but also that the pictures represent an isolated incident.
Jonathan Bartley
Director, Ekklesia