To Protect Torture, U.S. Denies Access To Lawyer

Majid Khan is a suspected terrorist recently transferred from one of the CIA's secret interrogation prisons. Is he guilty? We can't know, because he's been held in secret, subjected to torture, and will probably be tried by a secret kangaroo court. Torture isn't designed to get truth -- just confessions.

Now our government is trying to deny him the opportunity to consult an attorney. They say if he is allowed to talk with an attorney, he might reveal the "interrogation tactics" [torture] used on him, and possibly even reveal the location of the secret prison where he was held.

In a recent court document submitted to deny Khan's right to an attorney, the Justice Department says, "Improper disclosure of other operational details, such as interrogation methods, could also enable terrorist organizations and operatives to adapt their training to counter such methods, thereby obstructing the CIA's ability to obtain vital intelligence that could disrupt future planned terrorist attacks."

What a load of crap! The only thing you get from torture is what you want to hear, and that probably is not even close to the truth. I don't know what the "secret" is that they're trying to hide. The entire world knows that Georgie uses torture. Hell, our Republican government just passed a new law giving Georgie the right to torture!

As for the location of the secret torture prisons, all we have to do is look for the most brutal right-wing regimes in eastern Europe and central Asia.

The Center for Constitutional Rights believes that everyone has a right to challenge their detention, and of course, this requires the services of an attorney. They say there is no evidence that Khan has any classified information to divulge, and the U.S. is just trying to "conceal illegal or embarrassing executive conduct." They are right.