Torture Team: Uncovering war crimes in the land of the free - Softcover

Sands, Philippe

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141031328 ISBN 13: 9780141031323

Publisher: Penguin, 2009

Synopsis

'May well be the best bit of contemporary investigative journalism you will read! follows a paper trail and nails the truth' - Rod Liddle, "Sunday Times". 'Gripping, furious and very serious indeed' - John le Carre. After 9/11, the Bush administration declared that it would have to work through 'the dark side'. And it did: the Administration turned its back on the rules and on America's commitment to the dignity of every human person. It embraced torture, looking for legal advice that justified cruelty, and making sure that it found it. Voices of dissent - in the military and elsewhere - were pushed aside, as ideology and incompotence led to illegal interrogation techniques encouraged by Jack Bauer in 24. In "Torture Team", Philippe Sands travels around America, tracking down those responsible. In their own words, he shows how war crimes were committed. He opens the door to accountability and justice. 'It was not skulking renegades who emboldened ordinary Americans to strip and leash their captives, to expose them to snarling dogs and to half-drown them. It was suited attorneys' - Sadakat Kadri, "Daily Telegraph". 'How did a state conceived in awe of The Rights of Man make psychopaths of its children? Meticulously, soberly, astonishingly, [Sands] finds the answer' - Rafael Behr, "Observer".

About this title

Review:

'A gripping book ... one day we'll see the captains of the torture team in court.' - Michael Byers, Guardian 'May well be the best bit of contemporary investigative journalism you will read ... follows a paper trail and nails the truth.' - Rod Liddle, Sunday Times 'Gripping furious and very serious indeed.' - John le Carre

Synopsis:

'How did a state conceived in awe of The Rights of Man make psychopaths of its children? Meticulously, soberly, astonishingly, [Sands] finds the answer' Rafael Behr, "Observer". 'Gripping, furious and very serious indeed' - John le Carre. After 9/11, George W. Bush's administration declared that they were going to have to work through 'the dark side'. And they did: they turned their backs on international law and on America's history of respecting human rights. They wanted only legal advice that made it okay to torture, and they made sure they got it. Voices of dissent were sidelined, while low-level officials brainstormed interrogation techniques and took their lead from Jack Bauer in 24.In "Torture Team", Philippe Sands tracks down and interviews those responsible, and makes a compelling case that, in an ugly blotch on America's recent past, war crimes were committed for which no one has yet been held to account. 'It was not skulking renegades who emboldened ordinary Americans to strip and leash their captives, to expose them to snarling dogs and to half-drown them. It was suited attorneys' - Sadakat Kadri, "Daily Telegraph".

'May well be the best bit of contemporary investigative journalism you will read! follows a paper trail and nails the truth' - Rod Liddle, "Sunday Times".

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0141031328
• ISBN 13: 9780141031323
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368