Dispatches from the Dark Side: On Torture and the Death of JusticeIn this set of devastating essays, Gareth Peirce analyzes the corruption of legalprinciples and practices in both the US and the UK that has accompanied the‘War on Terror’. Exploring the few cases of torture that have come to light, such asthose of Guantánamo detainees Shafiq Rasul and Binyam Mohamed, Peirce arguesthat they are evidence of a deeply entrenched culture of impunity among thoseinvestigating presumed radicals among British Muslim nationals and residents,who constitute the new suspect community in the UK. Peirce shows that theBritish government has colluded in a whole range of extrajudicialactivities—rendition, internment without trial, torture—and has gone toextraordinary lengths to conceal its actions. Its devices for maintainingsecrecy are probably more deep-rooted than those of any other comparabledemocracy. If the government continues along this path, Peirce argues, it willdestroy the moral and legal fabric it claims to be protecting. |
Contents
| 1 | |
2 The Framing of alMegrahi | 27 |
3 Was It Like This for the Irish? | 51 |
4 Are We Our Brothers Keepers? | 73 |
5 A Decade of False Narratives | 97 |
Postscript | 135 |
Common terms and phrases
Aamer Afghan Afghanistan al-Megrahi al-Qaeda Algerians Americans arrest attack Bagram basis of secret Belmarsh Binyam Mohamed Blair bombing Britain British intelligence British residents brutal circuit board civilian claim concept condemned constitute convicted crimes against humanity criminal defence detainees enemy enemy combatant European Convention European Court extradition fair trial Feraday Foreign Office Gaddafi GARETH PEIRCE Guantánamo Bay Hayes Home Office Human Rights imprisonment innocent inquiry intelligence services interrogation investigation involvement Iraq Islamic Islamists issue judge jury justice Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Khreesat later lawyers Libya Lockerbie Malta ment military commission minister Mohammed moral Muslim national security PFLP-GC police political prisoners prosecution prosecutors protection Rasul regimes rendition response Saville Inquiry secrecy secret courts secret evidence Shafiq Rasul Shaker Aamer SIAC solitary confinement special rapporteur Strasbourg suspect Taliban target terrorism terrorist Thomas Thurman timer tion told torture Toshiba UK’s unlawful violate witness