PeopleTerrorists being torturedinterrogated

Oh, look. Our allies are still torturing detaining people evil illegal terrorist islamofascist combatants.

Now lawyers for Mr. Padilla, 36, suggest that he is unfit to stand trial. They argue that he has been so damaged by his interrogations and prolonged isolation that he suffers post-traumatic stress disorder and is unable to assist in his own defense. His interrogations, they say, included hooding, stress positions, assaults, threats of imminent execution and the administration of “truth serums.”

A Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Todd Vician, said Sunday that the military disputes Mr. Padilla’s accusations of mistreatment. And, in court papers, prosecutors deny “in the strongest terms” the accusations of torture and say that “Padilla’s conditions of confinement were humane and designed to ensure his safety and security.”

“His basic needs were met in a conscientious manner, including Halal (Muslim acceptable) food, clothing, sleep and daily medical assessment and treatment when necessary,” the government stated. “While in the brig, Padilla never reported any abusive treatment to the staff or medical personnel.”

I actually thought I was pretty good at English, but apparently the word humane means the opposite of what I think it does. And safety and security mean the opposite of what I think it does.

Also, I thought that depriving someone of all human contact except for brutal interrogations and giving them nothing to read at all for three years, while keeping them in a windowless cell without even charging them with a crime was abusive in itself, but apparently that's safe and humane, and probably more than these people bastards deserve.

In his affidavit, Mr. Patel said, “I was told by members of the brig staff that Mr. Padilla’s temperament was so docile and inactive that his behavior was like that of ‘a piece of furniture.’ "

(...)

“It is my opinion that as the result of his experiences during his detention and interrogation, Mr. Padilla does not appreciate the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him, is unable to render assistance to counsel, and has impairments in reasoning as the result of a mental illness, i.e., post-traumatic stress disorder, complicated by the neuropsychiatric effects of prolonged isolation,” Dr. Hegarty said in an affidavit for the defense.

(...)

But, Mr. Patel said in his affidavit, his client is nonetheless mistrustful. “Mr. Padilla remains unsure if I and the other attorneys working on his case are actually his attorneys or another component of the government’s interrogation scheme,” Mr. Patel said.

(...)

“During questioning, he often exhibits facial tics, unusual eye movements and contortions of his body,” Mr. Patel said. “The contortions are particularly poignant since he is usually manacled and bound by a belly chain when he has meetings with counsel.”

My memory is also getting really bad. I seem to recall reading somewhere that people had a right to be charged with a crime or go free. I also have this false memory of reading that long-term isolation from other people does irreparable damage to the human psyche, and could therefore be falsely misconstrued as "torture" instead of just being interrogation techniques and confinement. But whatever. He's just a human being terrorist scum, anyway.

But it really is too bad that I've all this time misunderstood all these words. I've even been working as a translator! Imagine that! I completely misunderstood all the words these government officials are using. If only there was a word for that. I should go read up on my dictionary. I don't know anything.