Performance Series Tackles U.S. Accountability Deficit

• by Amanda Bransford (new york)
• Tuesday, June 08, 2010
• Inter Press Service

'It takes a certain type of person to get excited about an event called 'Blueprint for Accountability,'' remarked a man standing in line for the show at New York University's Skirball Centre.

What was groundbreaking about the event, however, was its accessibility. A fusion of theatre, film, and conversation, it wasn't just a panel discussion, and it didn't appeal only to a certain type of person.

Also streaming live and available afterward on demand at FORA.tv, 'Blueprint for Accountability' is literally accessible to anyone with an internet connection and an interest in the rule of law and the prevention of torture.

Monday's event brought together journalists Ron Suskind and Jeremy Scahill, former CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson, executive director of the Centre for Constitutional Rights Vince Warren, and retired U.S. Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez to discuss how the United States betrayed its own values in the 'war on terror', how those responsible can be held accountable, and how to move forward.

'Democracy demands that we have accountability to prevent abuse of power by elected officials,' said Wilson.

Guests Robert Kennedy, Jr., Dr. Allen Keller of the Bellevue/NYU Programme for Survivors of Torture, and human rights activist Rose Styron also weighed in.

Archival footage illustrating the issues punctuated the discussion, and actors Liev Schreiber, Matt Dillon, Julianna Margulies, Mariska Hargitay and James Spader staged readings of letters and poems written by people affected by torture.

One segment highlighted the problem of mercenary armies.

Fighters-for-hire currently outnumber members of the U.S. armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, said the panelists, and those working for Blackwater (now XE Services) and other companies can make three times what the U.S. military pays a soldier.

Mercenary fighters present an accountability problem because their loyalty is to a corporation, to whoever can pay the most, instead of to a country.

Another problem the panelists considered was how to bring the United States back from the slippery definition of torture it embraced during the George W. Bush presidency.

The practice of waterboarding received significant criticism during the Bush years, but other practices the United Nations may consider torture, such as extended solitary confinement, continue under the current administration.

A film clip highlighted the story of Fahad Hashmi, a U.S. citizen who was charged with providing material support to al Qaeda. He was accused of housing an acquaintance who carried supplies bound for al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan, but not of committing any violence or carrying any supplies himself.

The young man, whose family was in the audience, was held in pre-trial solitary confinement for nearly three years until he was tried in April 2010.

In another eye-opening segment, panelist Dr. Allen Keller discussed a Jun. 7 report issued by Physicians for Human Rights charging that CIA medical personnel illegally performed research on prisoners under interrogation, including experiments to verify whether it is preferable to use plain water or a saline solution when waterboarding a prisoner.

'The main thing that needs to happen after this is a complete investigation,' Keller told IPS.

The doctor, who works with survivors of torture, says that accountability for those who commit or authorise torture is vital for victims, whose suffering does not end when they are released from prison.

As Sister Dianna Ortiz, a survivor of torture in Guatemala, wrote in a letter read aloud by Mariska Hargitay, 'Torture is a permanent invasion of our minds and our souls. Surviving is far worse than the actual physical torture itself. Those wounds heal in time - but the memories cling to us.'

In fact, the pain of torture clings to entire communities.

'Torture is not effective at eliciting useful information,' Keller told IPS. 'What it is effective at is undermining trust, a sense of safety, and a sense of community.'

A previously psychologically normal person becomes severely traumatised by torture, which has ramifications for his or her family, and leads to fear, mistrust, and anger throughout the community.

Holding torturers responsible may be a step toward healing.

The intention of 'Blueprint for Accountability' was to inspire those present, and those watching the live-stream or on-demand event, to hold their leaders accountable for the acts of the past as well as the future.

What we need to discover, says Keller, is 'what exactly happened, how this happened — this policy of torture — and how we prevent this from happening again.'

© Inter Press Service (2010) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

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