29.03.2004
In THE SPOKESMAN number 81, there is an article taken from LALIT's book DIEGO GARCIA IN TIMES OF GLOBALIZATION (our book is on line on this website, just click the book cover on the home page and you can get the whole book.) It is the chapter by Lindsey Collen and Ragini Kistnasamy called "How Diego Garcia was Depopulated and Stolen".
THE SPOKESMAN is the monthly magazine founded by Bertrand Russell and published by the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation in the UK. www.spokesmanbooks.com This recent issue is titled "DARK TIMES" and, the editorial exposes the way in which torture is insinuating its way into mainstream political thinking in the West.
The editorial draws attention to the "discovery" by the pioneering Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture in Copenhagen of the important principle that they learnt: that torture's aim is not to "get information" but to "break down" the personality. This is associated with the fact that torture is "governmentally sanctioned". One of the Doctors at the centre, Dr. Inge Genefke expands: "By that we understand torture performed with the knowledge, the responsibility, accepted by, approved by, often initiated by, and sometimes even institutionalized by the government." And today torture, like sleep deprivation, being shackled and locked up in cages, not knowing what charges are against you, not being in touch with your family or even legal counsel, is being increasingly "justified" not only by governments of notorious dictatorships, but also by the US Government, itself.
In this edition of THE SPOKESMAN, there are also fantastic articles by the Lawyer of the British men who were held on Guantanamo, by Arundhati Roy and by Kurt Vonnegut.