Tuesday, March 20, 2007

"WMR has learned from former UN peacekeeping sources that some of the contract Arabic speaking interrogators and torturers used by the U.S. military in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay were likely war crimes suspects who worked as interrogators for Israeli occupation forces in South Lebanon. In 1991, after Lebanese prisoners and hostages were released from the Israeli-run prison prison at El Khiam, UN medical personnel noticed the prisoners had been exposed to significant torture. During the medical examinations, the released prisoners revealed the names of a number of the prison leaders and interrogators to UN authorities. The interrogators and prison leaders were mostly South Lebanese, both Christian and Muslim, all working for the Israeli Defense Force. In 2000, when Israel evacuated South Lebanon, the interrogation personnel were transported to Israel. With valid Israeli passports, some of the interrogators emigrated to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. Some had been sentenced to death in absentia by Lebanese judicial authorities for their war crimes in Lebanon. A full report on the El Khiam matter was forwarded to the Norwegian government in 1991, and in 2002, to the War Crime Section of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The Canadian police officer in charge of the investigation was, according to UN sources, Blake Leminski." (thanks As`ad--not me).