Verbatim | Unconvincing Rendition

April 9, 2008
1 min read

“…allegations made in earlier reports by the organisation. It is based on allegations and assumptions that are far from objective to arrive at conclusions that are neither dependable nor convincing” – Nasser Judeh, troche Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications, online unconvinced by a Human Rights Watch report that claims the General Intelligence Department (GID) served as a proxy jailer and interrogator for the CIA from 2001 until at least 2004.

6 Comments

  • but you know thats not really a no these claims are not true … to me it sounds more like he is saying you have no proof of these claims

    Reply

  • “We created the Jordanian intelligence service and now we own it,”
    George Tenet, CIA Director 1997 – 2004
    (the quote appears in Bob Woodward’s book “State Of Denial”, pg 255)

    Reply

  • I think when you read the actual report, and see that it also cites UN reports that had the same conclusion and where the UN account was exactly the opposite of what Judeh said about openness, you quickly realize that you should take everything that he says with a grain of salt.

    From the report:

    These men’s claims are supported by the findings of UN envoys and international organizations. In 2006, after carrying out a visit to Jordan, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture issued a report concluding that: “The practice of torture is widespread in Jordan, and in some places routine, [including] the General Intelligence Directorate (GID).” Although the Special Rapporteur was denied access to interview prisoners held in GID detention in Amman, he cited credible and consistent allegations that torture was used at GID headquarters “to extract confessions and obtain intelligence in pursuit of counter-terrorism and national security objectives.”17 Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have reported similar findings.18

    But you know what: I, as a Jordanian, don’t need either the UN or the Human Rights Watch group to know that torture is used in Jordan, because I have seen Jordanians who will kill their own family members for as stupid a reason as talking to a stranger. I have seen Jordanian “men” take commissions on deals that were paid for by their own parents (stealing from their own parents).

    But I guess Judeh and the administration he speaks for don’t care about what Jordanians know. It’s ok if Jordanians know about torture; of course, it’s already OK for them to experience it. But they do care if the outside world knows about our dirty little secrets.

    Reply

  • Once again, I concur with Jordanian, except that I think the minister’s words should be taken with a ton of salt. It dismays me to see how greatly the common sense and intelligence of the masses are underestimated.

    Reply

Your Two Piasters: