This could get interesting. Earlier today, I posted what I consider a definitive statement on why we care about the treatment of detainees. It is written by Larry Johnson, a longtime CIA/State Dept. analyst and contributor to the Counterterrorism Blog.


Late today, Andrew Cochran (bio), the founder and editor of the Counterterrorism Blog, posted this retort to his blog contributor:

U.S. Marines Find Iraqis Tortured by Terrorists: WHERE ARE AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH, SENIOR DEMOCRATS, AND OTHER MEDIA ELITE (and what about Larry Johnson?)


Shall we point out the obvious problems with this challenge by Mr. Cochran? More below:

Cochran goes on:

Well, what a big surprise – U.S. Marines have uncovered one of the Iraqi terrorists’ torture chambers in Iraq, and the terrorists forgot to conduct their usual cleanup before leaving – they left the surviving prisoners there. … International Herald Tribune The “torture center (was) equipped with electric wires, a noose, handcuffs, a 574-page jihad manual – and four beaten and shackled Iraqis…they had been tortured with electric shocks and flogged with a strip of rubber for more than two weeks, unseen behind the windows of black glass.” The recovered manual included chapters titled “How to Select the Best Hostage,” and “The Legitimacy of Cutting the Infidels’ Heads.”


This is a chilling, horrific discovery. I watched the CNN report last night. CNN showed footage of the rooms and of an unseen person cutting the handcuffs off of the supposed torture victims. (If the person cutting the handcuffs off were a U.S. soldier, wouldn’t the camera show that? Even if the soldier’s face had to be obscured, his uniform could be shown.)


Mr. Cochran, can you name the group that supposedly committed the crimes?


Mr. Cochran, can you independently verify the torture as documented by qualified human rights investigators, not U.S. soldiers?


Mr. Cochran, can you verify that the footage on CNN and the story reports on NYT actually took place on the claimed date and at the claimed location?


I’m not suggesting the report is false even though its timing — given the broohaha over Guantanamo — could give one prudent pause. It’s probably highly likely that the resistance force may be torturing and murdering victims of kidnappings.


But, from what I’ve observed about human rights groups, their leadership generally waits until it can investigate and properly verify information before issuing press releases.


So, Mr. Cochran, when you ask …

[W]here are the cries for relief from prisoners’ allies and “human rights activists” at Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch about the grotesque daily torture practiced routinely by the Iraqi terrorists? Funny, the Amnesty website doesn’t cite or link to the story as of this post. Same with Human Rights Watch – gee, they must not care about tortured Iraqis on Sunday. Ditto all the senior Democrats – not a word from them. And Tim Russert of “Meet the Press” hit Sen. John McCain today with the standard Gitmo questions, but didn’t even mention the NYT story. Neither did Bob Schieffer on CBS’s “Face the Nation” this morning (Acrobat file).


… please pause, Mr. Cochran, and consider that some prudent verification and investigation first needs to take place.


And, as for your last question, Mr. Cochran …

And will my fellow CT Blogger Larry Johnson fess up and agree with me that the Iraqi terrorists are the real Champions of Torture? I’m counting on it.


… you should note that Mr. Johnson posted his comments on June 18, days after the latest reports of detainee abuse, weeks and months after the first reports of detainee abuse.


Mr. Johnson, unlike you, had at his disposal a wealth of independent information, FOIA documents, detainee and attorney statements, countless news reports, and human rights investigations by numerous organizations.

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