Former Army Interrogator Describes Torture in Iraq

[George W. Maschke]

Former U.S. Army interrogator and Arabic linguist Tony Lagouranis described the abuse and torture of prisoners in Iraq by U.S. military personnel in an interview with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! that aired on Tuesday, 15 November 2005. Video, audio, and transcript are available on-line here:

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/15/1632233

The fact that the U.S. Government is practicing torture on a widespread basis is uncomfortable for most Americans, including myself, to acknowledge. Some may prefer to look the other way, or worse, to shoot the messenger. But our nation's use of torture, apart from yielding little in the way of useful intelligence, as Mr. Lagouranis notes, has sullied America's reputation around the world and undermined, not enhanced, our national security.

If anyone doubts that the prisoner treatment described by Mr. Lagouranis is torture, ask yourself this: would you really find it acceptable for a foreign government to do the same to Americans?