By: Daniel Nardini
For those who do not know who John Kiriakou is, he is a former CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) agent who revealed the name of a CIA agent still on active duty. Further, he had lied to a CIA about the information that was to be included in his book on his time in the CIA and the methods of torture used by the CIA against Al Qaeda prisoners during the Bush era. In a plea deal, Kiriakou will spend 30 months in prison for revealing the name of an active agent and the U.S. government’s use of torture against Al Qaeda prisoners. It is a sordid and sad story, and one of government misuse of power. As we recall, U.S. President George W. Bush authorized the use of what the U.S. military and the CIA called “enhanced interrogation techniques.” This was another name for torture. The best known example was simulated drowning, also known as water-boarding. The CIA and the U.S. military used this against both Taliban and Al Qaeda prisoners in their attempts to get information.
Since this was considered torture under the Geneva Convention of 1949 for prisoners of war, the U.S. government went out of its way to make sure that Al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners did not fall into this category, tried to hide these prisoners in places around the world unknown to the general populace (known as the “black prisons), and tried to change the definition of what torture is. In this they failed. One of the reasons why was a whistleblower named John Kiriakou. Himself a CIA agent for years, and a loyal government employee, he began to question what the U.S. government was doing, and he provided information on CIA activities tou journalists in regards to torture and the name of an agent who had been guilty of conducting torture against an Al Qaeda suspect Abu Zubaydah. The U.S. government did not like this, and so it charged Kiriakou with violating the Intelligence Names Protection Act which prohibits providing names of covert CIA agents on active duty.
Because John Kiriakou “broke the law,” he will be in a U.S. prison for 30 months. He was lucky he did not get 30 years to life. Of course, I have to wonder why he of all people will go to prison and those involved in the actual torture of Al Qaeda suspects will not?Kiriakou himself said it best when he stated that he will go to prison—not those who committed the actual torture, not the senior CIA or U.S. military staff who ordered it, not the government lawyers who justified the legal use of torture, and certainly no high ranking member in the George W. Bush administration. It is very clear that only the whistleblower is going to prison. But then this is the intention—to silence and threaten whistleblowers who might, just might, follow their conscience. Kiriakou won the prestigious Joe A. Callaway Civic Award for Courage in standing up for constitutional rights. However, in my view this is little compensation for what he will have to endure. More than that, I find the whole thing troubling because this man is being put into prison for following his conscience while those who actually committed what would amount to war crimes did so for following orders. Does this sound familiar? All I can say is I hope fate will be more merciful to John Kiriakou, his wife and five children than the government has been.
John Kiriakou: Prisoner of Conscience
By: Daniel Nardini
Since this was considered torture under the Geneva Convention of 1949 for prisoners of war, the U.S. government went out of its way to make sure that Al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners did not fall into this category, tried to hide these prisoners in places around the world unknown to the general populace (known as the “black prisons), and tried to change the definition of what torture is. In this they failed. One of the reasons why was a whistleblower named John Kiriakou. Himself a CIA agent for years, and a loyal government employee, he began to question what the U.S. government was doing, and he provided information on CIA activities tou journalists in regards to torture and the name of an agent who had been guilty of conducting torture against an Al Qaeda suspect Abu Zubaydah. The U.S. government did not like this, and so it charged Kiriakou with violating the Intelligence Names Protection Act which prohibits providing names of covert CIA agents on active duty.
Because John Kiriakou “broke the law,” he will be in a U.S. prison for 30 months. He was lucky he did not get 30 years to life. Of course, I have to wonder why he of all people will go to prison and those involved in the actual torture of Al Qaeda suspects will not?Kiriakou himself said it best when he stated that he will go to prison—not those who committed the actual torture, not the senior CIA or U.S. military staff who ordered it, not the government lawyers who justified the legal use of torture, and certainly no high ranking member in the George W. Bush administration. It is very clear that only the whistleblower is going to prison. But then this is the intention—to silence and threaten whistleblowers who might, just might, follow their conscience. Kiriakou won the prestigious Joe A. Callaway Civic Award for Courage in standing up for constitutional rights. However, in my view this is little compensation for what he will have to endure. More than that, I find the whole thing troubling because this man is being put into prison for following his conscience while those who actually committed what would amount to war crimes did so for following orders. Does this sound familiar? All I can say is I hope fate will be more merciful to John Kiriakou, his wife and five children than the government has been.