Opposing Torture

Following on the previous post and the sad story of Alyssa Peterson, it is worth mentioning that some in Iraq or Afghanistan did manage to oppose harsh interrogation techniques without resorting to tragic means. NPR has a very interesting story on Col. Steven Kleinman, an Air Force reservist and intelligence officer, who was mentioned in a report by the Senate Armed Services on the abusive treatment of terrorism detainees. I will not recount the story here, except to note that the colonel's opposition to what he considered unacceptable interrogation techniques made him, in his own words, "the most unpopular officer in that area, if not in the entire country of Iraq".

What Kleinman did with the evidence he had unearthed is also interesting:

I came across that, and I was stunned … I was directed to write a report … and I described in great detail what happened and why those were violations of the Geneva Convention. But I was directed to send my report up my chain of command … and I was ordered to keep it within those channels — for classification, for security purposes … So I did everything, even beyond what was reasonable. I did make my chain of command very clear. I did make the Department of Defense inspector general's office aware. It was classified. Had I spoken out at that time … I could have been charged with divulging classified information.

In addition to the peer pressure (and veiled threats), therefore, there was the silence and inertia of his hiearchy, and the possibility of prosecutions being used against him. One can only wonder, in the present context, what the legal implications might be for the "chain of command". If ever there was a case of "knew or should have known and failed to take measures to prevent", this must surely be it. Although his initiative was unsuccesful in this case, it is comfort to see that some senior officers had the integrity and the courage to stand up against what they witnessed, and always a helpful reminder that this is an option in spite of the reactions.