[mburbank]

It would be one thing if the people who were responsible for getting WOT suspects tortured were perfect. Then I might understand the pro torture argument. Not agree with, mind you. Just understand.

But no one is going to be a perfect torture administrator. And these guys? Lets just say if you woudn't trust someone to walk your dog, they shouldn't be in charge of who gets sent to a Syrian Prison. And don't give me any of that "Oh, Syria assured us they wouldn't torture" shit, cause if they're so trustworthy how come W is always rattling his saber at them?


Torture Victim Had No Terror Link, Canada Told US
By Scott Shane
The New York Times

Monday 25 September 2006

Washington - When the United States sent Maher Arar to Syria, where he was tortured for months, the deportation order stated unequivocally that Mr. Arar, a Canadian software engineer, was a member of Al Qaeda. But a few days earlier, Canadian investigators had told the F.B.I. that they had not been able to link him to the terrorist group.

That is one of the disclosures in the 1,200-page report released last week after a two-year Canadian investigation of Mr. Arar's case found him to be innocent of any terrorist ties. The report urges the Canadian government to formally protest the American treatment of Mr. Arar, a recommendation Canadian officials are considering.

Mr. Arar, 37, who now lives in British Columbia, has a lawsuit against United States officials and agencies that is on appeal, and he has demanded an explanation for his treatment from the Bush administration.

A close reading of the Arar Commission report offers a rare window on American actions in the case, describing seemingly flimsy evidence behind the American decision in 2002 to send Mr. Arar to a country notorious for torture; a deliberate attempt by American officials to deceive Canada about where Mr. Arar was; and lingering confusion among top American officials about the two countries' roles in the case.