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June 22, 2009
talking torture - and defending the sixth amendment
I never got around to blogging about this event, but I think it is worthy of mentioning here. The event took place earlier this month in response to the release of the torture memos and the flurry of controversy that ensued. The event was hosted by several human rights organizations; I attended on behalf of my organization. There were about 80 in the crowd. The event was entitled "The Law Against Torture and The Moral Imperative for Accountability," and it took place at the Arlington Central Library in Virginia. There were two speakers; one of them was an ethics professor, and the other was an attorney, Brent Mickum, representing Guantanamo detainee Abu Zubaydah. Brent had a lot of interesting things to say, and I respect him for his courage. While it is now fashionable to stand up to the prison and the U.S. torture policies, it was not so easy to do so, say, ten or even five years ago. But Brent was at the forefront of the battle throughout, fighting to ensure a fair trial - not to mention basic rights - for one of these unfortunate prisoners.
Here is a link to a blog covering the event, as well as a youtube video with part of Brent's talk: http://www.openleft.com/diary/13869/torture-yields-highvalue-mistakes
Posted by dmbenn at June 22, 2009 09:44 AM