Velvet Revolution, a Washington, D.C. based non-profit organization, is calling for the United States government to hold torture lawyers accountable for crimes they have committed.

At a news conference Monday, prominent lawyers Bruce Fein and Kevin Zeese stated their intentions to file complaints against John Rizzo, the acting General Counsel of the CIA, and Jonathan Fredman, a lawyer for the Director of National Intelligence. Rizzo and Fredman have facilitated war crimes yet are still receiving government paychecks, said Zeese.

The United States has been criticized for allegedly torturing individuals at Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, and Bagram Air Force Base.

Zeese also stated that the “United Nations Convention Against Torture”, which was signed by President Ronald Reagan, requires the prevention of torture. Therefore, if President Obama does not prosecute Rizzo and Fredman he would be in violation of the law.

Fein, who served as an attorney under President Reagan, criticized the United States for covering up torture in the name of political expediency, rather than prosecuting those involved with it. “That’s what the Soviet Union would do. That’s what China would do, not the United States of America,” said Fein.

“The toxicity of torture is a poison in our body politic, and there is only one way to remove it. And it’s not to sweep it under the rug. We have to look at the facts, understand what happened, and then hold those accountable through the rule of law,” said Zeese.

Randall G. Schriver, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, testified in front of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee, stating that the Chinese need to end the oppression of the Uyghurs so that they can live peaceful lives. (0:16)

 

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Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) defended the U.S. government’s use of Guantanamo Bay and credits the facility for preventing the slaughter of thousands (0:32)

 

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Susan Baker Manning, a primary defense attorney for the Uyghur men detained at Guantanamo Bay claims that there is too much misinformation in popular discourse surrounding the detainees. (0:33)

 

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Tom Malinowski of the Human Rights Watch discusses indefinite detentions and the distinction between wartime acts and criminal offenses. (1:01)

 

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Elisa Massimino CEO and Executive Director of Human Rights First explains the policy damage caused by Guantanamo Bay and its international effect on radicals like Al Qaeda. (0:36)

 

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By Michael Combier-Talk Radio News Service

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) responds to President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo and that it is a mistake to put on the same basis the Israelis and the terrorists. Boehner also criticizes President Obama’s position towards Guantanamo bay and Iran.

 

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Former Vice President Dick Cheney maintains that the Guantanamo Bay detention facility was a good choice for coping with dangerous criminals. Cheney also criticizes President Barack Obama’s decision to close the prison by the end of the year without calculating the consequences of such an event, in particular regarding where the prisoners will be kept once they are moved from the Cuba-based facility. (0:39)

 

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Former Vice resident Dick Cheney talks about the Guantanamo Bay prisoners and how 14% of those who have been released after trial have gotten back to the “jihad business”. Cheney adds that some of the men who are still currently held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility are some of the most dangerous men for the U.S as they would do anything to kill Americans. (1:03)

 

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By Courtney Ann Jackson- Talk Radio News Service

Defense attorney Susan Baker Manning explains the background of the Uyghur men being held at Guantanamo Bay and refutes many of the rumors circulating about their intentions. (1:54)

 

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