Lynndie England: "It's taken five years but slowly the truth is coming out."
As more and more evidence comes to light regarding the systematic use of torture on the prisoners held in American custody during the war on terror, it is impossible not to take Lynndie England seriously when she states:
"I kept thinking this through my trial and everyone else's trial, I didn't felt guilty about the charges I was charged with or what happened because in my mind we were ordered to do this."It was fairly obvious at the time, from the casual way other soldiers were milling about whilst England led a naked man on a dog leash, that the people in the background of the photograph did not find what England was doing to be shocking in the least. There were no soldiers rushing over to ask her what the Hell she thought she was doing. Instead, the body language of the other troops behind her declared that this was business as usual.
England has been unable to find work since both Bush and Rumsfeld hung her out to dry as the public face of the Abu Ghraib scandal, despite the fact that both Rumsfeld and Bush were well aware that what they were witnessing in these photographs was well within the guidelines which they had approved.
The fact that Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld allowed these soldiers to be imprisoned, when they were well aware that they were largely following official policy was simply criminal.
England is now set to publish a book hoping to put her side of the story into the public domain.
I would prefer her to have issued a court action rather than a book, but I am sure the book will give us a fascinating insight into what it is like to be betrayed by one's own government.
As England says:
"It's taken five years but slowly the truth is coming out."I am not condoning anything that she did, but the people further up the chain, the people who actually thought up the policy and issued the orders asking for that policy to be implemented, are the real criminals here. It's them that I would one day like to see in court to answer for what they have done.
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2 comments:
Thanks Kel,
Yes, there is so much more to this story. The title of the book is: "Tortured: Lynndie England, Abu Ghraib,and the Photographs that Shocked the World", published by "Bad Apple Books". The book will allow the public to see the entire story and make their own judgment. Lynndie had just turned 20 when she "literally" stepped into those photos. What was her crime? She did not torture, did not touch anyone - wasn't a guard, or the warden - she is guilty of stepping into photos that document what Cheney admits was the Bush policy of "enhanced interrogation".
My pleasure. As you say, it is simply disgusting that a twenty year old was made to pay the price for carrying out what looks strangely like official policy.
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