abu ghraib

In article 3A of the Geneva Conventions, it states “violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment, and torture.” There was a murder in Guantanamo and all sorts of torture, so if the United States claimed that they followed the Geneva Conventions at Guantanamo they did not. In Article 1-3 they state, “An order from a superior officer or a public authority may not be invoked as a justification of torture.” I would argue that there was given permission from superior officers such as Rumsfield and people from the Bush Administration, even if it was not publicized. These “enhanced interrogation tactics” were not included under the Geneva Conventions which I think is unfair, because it gives people the opportunity to make up their own rules. These tactics were not accounted for and therefore kept escalating because no one reported anything. In the video, it was extremely disturbing how the tactics were taken too far- especially the sexual assault with females and the kicking of the legs. This was not torture in my opinion, just disrespectful for everyone involved. In the memo it states, “We conclude that the treaty’s text prohibits only the most extreme act committed by a person acting under the color of law specifically intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering upon another person within his custody or physical control.” I think that that is an invitation to do pretty much anything to the detainee because they don’t allow “only the most extreme acts.” This relates to the Stanford Prison Experiment where officers were not given instructions on how to deal with prisoners. They saw that violent tactics were escalated because there was no authority given. This is also like the “Lord of the Flies” where the boys became violent because there was no system and rules to follow. In my opinion, this is what happened in Guantanamo Bay and Abu Gharib.