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Obama Resumes Extra-Judicial Detentions

Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame, a Somalian man indicted in New York today was held for two months and interrogated on a U.S. Navy ship. The Obama Administration describes him as a militant with ties to AQAP and al Shabab, and says he was designated an "important target." My translation: He was on the kill or capture list and we decided to go for capture rather than kill this time. Next time could be different.

Obama officials say the new policy of holding detainees for interrogation on Navy Ships is much different than the previous Bush policy. The interrogations are more humane and they get Miranda warnings...after being interrogated. [More...]

Officials said Warsame's interrogation was conducted under the rules of the U.S. Army Field Manual, which strictly limits the techniques that can be used. After the High-Value Interrogation Group had completed its questioning of Warsame and transferred him to FBI custody, he was read his Miranda rights, the officials said. Warsame waived his right to a lawyer and continued talking, the officials said.
An official said only the answers provided in interrogation after he was turned over to the FBI and Mirandized would be used in the civilian trial in New York.

It's likely there will be more of these cases:

Adm. William H. McRaven, who is taking over as head of U.S. Special Operations Command, was asked last week during his confirmation hearings what the U.S. did with militants captured outside Afghanistan.

"In many cases, we will put them on a naval vessel and we will hold them until we can either get a case to prosecute them in U.S. court," send them to a third country or release them, McRaven said, without providing specifics. Shipboard detentions had been alleged by human rights groups but never confirmed.

On the plus side: He wasn't killed, the CIA isn't doing the questioning, and he's ending up in a federal criminal court rather than a military tribunal.

On the minus side: Everything else.

< The Meaning of a Not Guilty Verdict | Obama Wants To Cut Government Spending >
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  • Display: Sort:
    Gotta love these guys... (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by lentinel on Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 05:48:25 AM EST
    The interrogations are more humane and they get Miranda warnings...after being interrogated.

    Orwell would be proud.
    I know I am.

    Miranda is dead anyway... (none / 0) (#2)
    by kdog on Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 08:12:50 AM EST
    just waiting on the Supreme Court reversal to make it official.

    And whats so much better about detention at sea than detention on land? I doubt the suspects held without charge are getting an ocean view.  

    But I guess Jeralyn is right, better than the CIA, but still not good or righteous enough for the former beacon of liberty and justice.


    Parent

    The part I (none / 0) (#3)
    by lentinel on Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 08:46:47 AM EST
    particularly like is that they deliver a Miranda warning OK.
    It's just that it is delivered after an "interrogation" instead of before.

    I think that opens new ground - for everyone.

    A warning that is delivered after an event.

    How novel.
    How brilliant.
    The future and the past mixed into a blender.
    A new space-time machine.

    After is before.
    Up is down.

    That's change we can believe it or not.

    Parent

    War is peace, (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by kdog on Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 08:51:05 AM EST
    Ignorance is strength, freedom is slavery...you're a homosapien after me own heart lentinel:)

    Parent
    Maybe it's just me, but am I really (none / 0) (#5)
    by Anne on Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 09:50:03 AM EST
    expected to believe that nothing that is obtained during questioning while in military control and before being Mirandized would be used in any civilian trial?

    I get that there are two sets of rules, but I no longer have much confidence in either one.

    Sh*t... (none / 0) (#6)
    by kdog on Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 10:32:30 AM EST
    two sets of rules would be preferable to making 'em up as we go along, with defacto retroactive immunity for government actors.

    Parent
    Go back and Read Raymond Chandler (none / 0) (#7)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 12:44:46 PM EST
    novels or short stories about interrogations with saps and phone books.

    The good old ways have NOT been abandoned, except by certain police departments.

    "LA Confidential" was more true than false...

    Does anyone here feel they were in any way fully (none / 0) (#8)
    by jawbone on Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 03:15:07 PM EST
    prepared for just how bad Obama would be as president?

    Economy, social safety nets, health insurance reform to protect the insurance companies' profits, civil liberties, war powers...I can't even think of all the areas he's just even worse than Bush/Cheney!

    As someone who had low expectations (none / 0) (#9)
    by Anne on Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 03:55:05 PM EST
    to begin with, and took a lot of flak for not trying to be more positive, all I can say is that apparently I had a bit of that hope thing goin' on, fingers crossed that maybe Congressional Dems would push back when needed, only to realize fairly quickly that it was much worse that I thought, and was going to go downhill from there.

    It's hard to imagine pain, or carry the memory of it in your head; I learned the first lesson when I gave birth to daughter no. 1, and the second when I gave birth to daughter no. 2: people can tell you about pain, but you can't really prepare for it, and once it stops, the memory fades.

    Parent