Torture probe and KBR exposing soldiers

Breaking: Spanish judge starts Guantanamo torture probe --Judge: Guantanamo a legal "limbo" and as such falls under universal jurisdiction, allowing him to investigate what went on in the base 30 Apr 2009 A Spanish judge has started a criminal investigation into suspected torture of detainees in the base at Guantanamo and said he would target both US military personnel and those who issued their orders. Judge Baltasar Garzon, who once tried to extradite former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, said he based his case on testimony in his court by four former Guantanamo detainees who complained of physical and mental abuse at the base in Cuba.

Spanish court opens investigation of Guantánamo torture allegations --Torture allegations include 'sexual abuse,' 'beating,' and throwing of fluids into prisoners' eyes 29 Apr 2009 court in Spain has today opened an investigation into torture allegations against US military personnel at the Guantánamo detention centre. Meanwhile in Berlin, Barack Obama's attorney general Eric Holder... signalled the Obama administration might cooperate with the Spanish investigation. Judge Baltasar Garzón, an investigating magistrate at the National Court in Madrid, said he would investigate allegations made by four prisoners who were held at the centre and later released without charges, according to a court document quoted by the Spanish press. The torture allegations include "sexual abuse", "beating" and the throwing of fluids into prisoners' eyes.

Europe's 'Special Interrogations' New Evidence of Torture Prison in Poland 27 Apr 2009 The current debate in the US on the "special interrogation methods" sanctioned by the Bush administration could soon reach Europe. It has long been clear that the CIA used the Szymany military airbase in Poland for extraordinary renditions. Now there is evidence of a secret prison nearby. 27 Apr 2009 It was apparently here, just under an hour's drive from Szymany airport, that Sheikh Mohammed was tortured, exactly 183 times with waterboarding in March, 2003 alone. That averages out to eight times a day. And all of this happened right here in Europe.

Wexler Calls for Special Prosecutor on Torture --Letter from Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) to Attorney General Eric Holder 28 Apr 2009 Yesterday, I signed a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder urging the appointment of a Special Prosecutor to investigate the Bush Administration and Justice Department's role in authorizing torture. With the release of the so-called "Torture Memos" last week, and the instrumental role that Bush Administration Justice Department and Executive Branch officials had in orchestrating and approving these techniques, it is evident to me that we need an independent investigation into this troubling series of events that have damaged our national security and diminished our nation before the eyes of the world.

KBR sued for exposing soldiers to toxic smoke --Halliburton Co, which spun off KBR two years ago, was also named as defendant in lawsuits 29 Apr 2009 KBR Inc was sued on Tuesday in three states on accusations that the company exposed U.S. soldiers and contractors at U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan to toxic smoke, court documents showed. KBR, an engineering and construction company that also manages military logistics, was paid by the U.S. government to dispose of waste on the bases, according to the complaints filed on behalf of soldiers who had been deployed in the two countries.