The Torture Drawings the Pentagon Doesn't Want You to See

[kpete]

The Torture Drawings the Pentagon Doesn't Want You to See

By Andy Worthington, AlterNet. Posted April 11, 2008.


Since January 7, 2007 (the fifth anniversary of his detention without trial by the US), Sami has been on a hunger strike. Although he is strapped into a restraint chair twice a day and force-fed against his will and despite the fact that he is "very thin" and "his memory is disintegrating," according to Stafford Smith, Sami continues to seek ways to publicize the plight of his fellow prisoners. During the most recent visit from his lawyers in February -- with Cori Crider of Reprieve -- he produced a number of morbid, and almost hallucinatory sketches illustrating his take on conditions in Guantánamo, which he described as "Sketches of My Nightmare."

Fearing that they would be banned by the military censors, Crider asked him to describe each sketch in detail and when, as anticipated, the pictures were duly banned but the notes cleared, Reprieve asked political cartoonist Lewis Peake to create original works based on Sami's descriptions



jThe first sketch is just a skeleton in the torture chair,” Mr. al Haj explained. “My picture reflects my nightmares of what I must look like, with my head double-strapped down, a tube in my nose, a black mask over my mouth, strapped into the torture chair with no eyes and only giant cheekbones, my teeth jutting out – my ribs showing in every detail, every rib, every joint. The tube goes up to a bag at the top of the drawing. On the right there is another skeleton sitting shackled to another chair. They are sitting like we do in interrogations, with hands shackled, feet shackled to the floor, just waiting. In between I draw the flag of Guantanamo – JTF-GTMO – but instead of the normal insignia, there is a skull and crossbones, the real symbol of what is happening here.”
There is a second sketch, which is about the Hospital,” explained Mr. al Haj. “Again it is a skeleton, but with a face this time. The top of the skull is dotted with tracks, tracks of pain. This is the hospital gurney prisoner. He sits completely still, his hands and feet shackled to the side of the bed.”

http://www.alternet.org/rights/81406/?page=1

The drawings were submitted to the military censor but they would not permit their release.

However, detailed descriptions of the sketches were allowed through the censorship process and Lewis Peake, a political cartoonist, was able to recreate one entitled Scream for Freedom.



“This time, the hooded skeleton is in a three-piece suit,” Mr. al Haj explained. “The head is totally blacked out. The wrists are shackled at the back, with chains running down the legs. There are very elaborate arm bones, leg bones and the spine. And again the flag, the Jolly Roger of JTF-GTMO with a diabolical smile on the skull. The title is, naturally, ‘Honor Bound to Defend Freedom’, and it’s signed by me.”

http://freedetainees.org/230

[Bucky]

1. Do you remember when we were the United States of America?

I'm not sure what country this is, but my country would never tolerate these atrocities.

[amihol]

7. nowadays everything is UPSIDE DOWN...

[indepat]

2. When are we the people going to be fully fed up with our country being hijacked

by a cabal of RW extremists to send them a message to that effect? Enough already? :D

[FiveGoodMen]

6. The American people are co-conspirators.

Leak after leak shows what the monsters in charge have really been up to and no one cares.

There are exceptions among us, but as a rule Americans are no better than the Germans who followed Hitler. We are monsters, devils.

This won't be fixed because most Americans are happy to keep it going.

There's no other conclusion I can draw from the never-ending apathy.

[indepat]

9. How I wish your conclusions were erroneous, but who can validly dispute even a one of them?

:shrug:

[FiveGoodMen]

10. Thank you for saying so. (Misery loves company)

[alfredo]

3. His site

http://prisoner345.net/

[Buzz Clik]

4. As said above, remember when the United States of America at leasted pretended to have high ideals?

It wasn't that long ago -- less than eight years ago:

• We did not condone torture
  
• We did not believe that the Geneva Conventions were quaint.
  
• We were signatories on the Nonproliferation Treaty.
  
• We had never engaged in a pre-emptive war.
  
• We believed in protecting the environment, the ecology of the earth, and all inhabitants of the planet
  
• We welcomed immigrants from all nations.
  
• The opinion of the overwhelming majority of the people was never dismissed with a simple, "So?"
  

I used to be proud of who we were and what we stood for.

[Muttocracy]

5. yes, and we need to remember and head back there. nt

[Voice for Peace]

8. And these people MUST be held accountable.

Once Obama is in office we must make every effort to demand investigations and trials for these crimes.

[Buzz Clik]

12. I certainly have not given up. We need to clean house, and, as you said, get back.

[Canuckistanian]

11. Fuck ANYONE who causes such pain

Jesus Christ, what a Hell on Earth that place must be.

If Gitmo isn't ended soon, as in 1 millisecond after a Democrat takes office, there is no justice in America nor can America EVER claim moral superiority in ANYTHING.