Tortured On The Order Of U.S. Government

By Kayleigh Harvey - Talk Radio News Service

If you were being tortured, both physically and mentally to the point of near-death, if your wife had been threatened with rape and your family with abuse would you sign a statement admitting to criminal offenses that you did not commit?

This may be the situation with Naji Hamdan, 47, a U.S. citizen, who claims that he admitted to perpetrating terror related crimes whilst under torture.

“[Hamdan] was placed in a blindingly white room, where he was unable to differentiate the day from the night for three months. In the room the AC was constantly on full-blast and Naji was denied a blanket or even a jacket to keep warm. For the three months that Naji was in state security custody the U.A.E. interrogators would alternate between placing him in solitary confinement for weeks at a time and taking him out blind-folded and handcuffed and torturing him,” said Reem Salahi, Hamdan’s lawyer from ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union).

According to Salahi the only evidence against Hamdan that the U.A.E. will present are confessions to crimes signed under torture.

Hamdan who lived for 20-years in Southern California, moved to the United Arab Emirates to expand his business in 2008. Today he faces life imprisonment under U.A.E. law for terror related crimes.

The FBI first investigated Hamdan in 1999, when he was placed under surveillance and taken in for questioning. Hamdan was never charged for any crime, but his lawyers say he was unfairly questioned because he is a Muslim activist.

In August 2008, after visiting family in Lebanon, Hamdan was taken and detained by U.A.E. security forces for three months. Salahi said “During that time he was interrogated about the years he spent in the U.S. and about information only U.S. federal agents would have. He was tortured severely. At least one American official participated in his interrogation and witnessed his torture,” Salahi said.

Salahi accuses the American government of allowing the U.A.E. to detain and interrogate Hamdan “knowing he would be subject to torture.”

In November 2008, the ACLU filed a habeas petition in the D.C. District Court alleging that the U.S. government was responsible for his improper detention and subjection to torture. One week after filing the petition Hamdan was charged in the U.A.E with “terror related crimes, based on nothing more than his forced confessions,” Salahi said.

On November 26, 2008 Hamdan was transferred to the U.A.E. criminal custody, a normal prison, where he was able to speak to family and legal representatives for the first time in three months since being detained. Salahi said, “the timing of this transfer is most certainly not coincidence, but a clear attempt of the U.S. government to avoid the reach of our lawsuit.”

Salahi added, “Naji Hamdan is a victim of the U.S. government’s policy and practice under the Bush administration, of requesting a foreign government to arrest and detain terrorism suspects, who we cannot arrest and detain ourselves under our laws.”

Salahi accused the American government of “asking another government to do its dirty work.”

Hamdan’s case will be heard in the U.A.E Supreme Court and no appeal following the decision will be granted.

Salahi is currently in Washington D.C. talking to Member’s of Congress about Hamdan’s trial. The ACLU is asking Congress for “Mr. Hamdan’s release because he is a victim of torture and the evidence against him was obtained through torture....If prosecuted in the U.A.E., ensure that Mr. Hamdan receives a fair trial and that evidence obtained under torture is not used against him....Investigate the role of the United States in Mr. Hamdan’s detention and torture.”

Speaking in support of Hamdan’s case, Dbraham Romey from The Muslim American Society (MAS) said, “We are saying to the Congress of the United States, to the President of the United States, to the Attorney General, to the Secretary of State, to leaders of the U.S. military, that we will not be silent and complicit in the ongoing abomination that is torture.”

The ACLU has made contact with Congressman Howard Berman (D-Calif.) who, as Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has written to Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton concerning this case. A response is still forthcoming from both Cabinet members.

Whilst in D.C. Salahi will contact other Members’ to ask for their support in releasing her client.

An U.A.E. Supreme Court trial date for Hamdan looks set to be given in the near future.

My week in Dubai

I just returned from a week in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dubai is a microcosm of the world with 85 percent of the population coming from more than 100 countries. The local newspapers were full of two topics – the world economy and President-elect Obama, with some stories covering both subjects at one time.

The locals, known as Emiratis, have a great deal of confidence that the region will be able to ride out this economic shamal (strong wind from the north that bring blinding sand storms). Dubai, unlike Abu Dhabi, has no significant oil revenue to speak of. Instead, Sheik Mohammed al Maktoum is turning Dubai into a tourist destination for the emerging tourist droves from India, Russia and possibly China. At the World Economic Forum held in Dubai there was one shining star remaining in the galaxy of emerging markets – India. Russia isn't exactly hurting either. The hotels and real estate offices in Dubai are full of Russians on holiday or snapping up villas and flats while carrying gym bags full of cash.

If you think about it, it makes perfect sense to make a vacation, banking and commerce center in the middle of the world, which is exactly where Dubai is located. Our very own Halliburton moved its headquarters to Dubai, for example. Barclays bank has a huge office in Dubai, and that is the springboard to the emerging markets south and east of Dubai.

Despite the mind-boggling rate of development, (I counted 30 new high-rise apartments going up in a six-mile radius of where I was staying), some expatriates worry that Dubai will suffer a credit crunch as well, and that will leave those high rises empty. After I interviewed a number of people, the one common theme I observed is that they think President-elect Obama is going to "fix everything." Emiratis, Australians, Indians, Pilipino, Brits, South Africans … all see the future of their country tied to the future of the U.S. And they believe that Obama will go into deeper debt to fix the U.S. economy and, therefore, the world economy. They don't seem to be bothered by the debt that the U.S. takes on and its long-term implications for the dollar, which is of course inextricably linked with the UAE dirham.

Despite interesting conversations about the world economy, the thing most people wanted to discuss was Obama's win. I heard story after story about how people watched returns on Wednesday morning and cheered each other at work and celebrated. I think this was due to a few reasons. First, they think there needs to be a dramatic change in the way America works in the world – that we need to steer clear of shot, fire, aim and that Obama will be less likely to shoot from the hip than the Bush administration. Second, the win illustrated to the world that the American dream is still alive, and the American people are not asleep at the switch. The rest of the world looks to America as the standard bearer for unencumbered opportunity – that someone can be born with no means, with the hurdles that Obama has overcome and rise to be the most powerful man in the world.

I left Dubai a proud American. Our system may have its flaws, but it works, and the rest of the world sees that it as well. It has given people hope and made people around the world smile. That as they say in the Middle East "is a good thing."

U.S. struggling to keep up with U.A.E. in renewables

At the 11th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Expo and Forum, several representatives delivered remarks on the potential of private sector businesses in the support of renewable energy. Private companies lobbying for federal assistance presented such products as private home and community wind generators.

Senator Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) said the private sector is the most appropriate and efficient means to expand renewable energy sources. Congressman Zachary Wamp (R-Tenn.) said the transition from natural gas to renewable fuels is "the most important challenge of our generation." Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) said the U.S. has a lot of work to do to catch up with countries like Germany and the United Arab Emirates in terms of renewables. Congressman Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) said the U.S. needs to find freedom from its slavery and addiction to oil. He added that renewable energy is a huge economic growth opportunity and also "saves the planet."

Super Tuesday in a drowning nation

By Ellen Ratner

Twenty-four hour campaigning, 7,000 person rallies, political ads filling every TV and radio spot, political pundits spewing their latest guesstimates … overall, there is a lot of noise and promises, but no one is dealing with two of the biggest issues facing America – debt and health care crises.

In fairness, Ron Paul has attempted to elevate the debt crisis to the national scene, but he has been sidelined. And yes, the Democrats are talking about health care for all, and even Mitt Romney is touting his Massachusetts health care plan, but neither party is taking a hard look at the facts with debt or health care.

According to Demos and the Center for Responsible Lending, credit card debt has almost tripled since 1989 and risen 31 percent in the last three years. Many people are using credit cards as safety nets instead of relying on savings. Low and middle-income households have an average $8,650 in credit-card debt. Most people with this amount of debt have carried it for more than one year. Almost half of all card debtors have used their credit cards to pay for automobile repair. Not just paying the minimums, most people in this study paid $700 last month and are making a median payment of $300 per month. This kind of debt for so many Americans is clearly unsustainable.

On the health care front, the issue has been focused on the ability of people to purchase health insurance policies. Mitt Romney worked with the Democrats in his state to fine people who did not buy health insurance policies and to underwrite part of the costs for people who could not afford it. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama each have plans to get the majority of Americans to be able to purchase health insurance. None of the candidates are discussing the real problem – the cost of health care, whether it is paid by insurance or the government, is going to rise astronomically. Insurance is not going to pay these rising costs because they will go broke doing so. Health care is now almost 17 percent of our GDP, up from 13 percent in 2000, and it is rising about a percentage point a year.

You do not have to be a Nobel laureate in economics to know that these numbers are unsustainable – health care will not be affordable to individuals or taxpayers as it takes a larger and larger chunk out of our overall economy.
Even though the candidates don't want to address these problems, there are solutions. First, on the credit crisis, we can provide real incentives for people to save by providing some kind of matching program in the same way that we are giving out treasury checks in the stimulus program. Congress can support legislation that would provide a tax break to those who save. Second, start making some deals with the credit card companies in the form of tax savings if they stop handing out easy credit and start reducing the monthly interest rates for people with high debt.

In addition, Demos and the Center for Responsible Lending recommend that credit card companies be required to disclose the overall cost of minimum payments and require meaningful underwriting standards so that credit card limits are not pushed beyond what they know can be paid for by the consumer.
With health care taking such a bite out of our GDP, the only solution is to turn the rising health technology costs into a plus on our national balance sheet. Other countries recognize our expertise. Johns Hopkins and the Cleveland Clinic are going to be managing hospitals in the United Arab Emirates. With our advances in equipment and other technology, there is no reason why we can't pay for our increasing health care bill by supporting research and exporting it. We have given tax breaks to tobacco companies to export their products, why not the same for health care innovators and providers?

The above are just a few solutions to major economic problems but nary a word from the major presidential hopefuls. You have to dig deep on their websites to find any in-depth thinking and forget about policy specifics. They are convinced that the American people don't want to hear anything but sound bites. If you don't believe that, watch one of the debates. They simply respond to one generality with another unless it's about "who" said or did "what" "when," and then the exchange becomes so sophomoric, as it did with Sen. McCain attacking Romney last week, that the other candidates have to redirect the focus to real issues when moderator Anderson Cooper lost control.

President Bush is no different than the candidates. He prefers to fly in the stratosphere on issues versus rolling up his sleeves and addressing root causes. He signed an executive order to put together a panel on increasing financial literacy for the greater population; that is great, but it hardly helps people caught in the vise now. Americans aren't dumb; they want real talk about real solutions. Too bad Super Tuesday won't move the candidates to enter into the discussion.