Between The Lines

Announcements

Award-winning Investigative Journalist Robert Parry (1949-2018)

Award-winning investigative journalist and founder/editor of ConsortiumNews.com, Robert Parry has passed away. His ground-breaking work uncovering Reagan-era dirty wars in Central America and many other illegal and immoral policies conducted by successive administrations and U.S. intelligence agencies, stands as an inspiration to all in journalists working in the public interest.

Robert had been a regular guest on our Between The Lines and Counterpoint radio shows -- and many other progressive outlets across the U.S. over four decades.

His penetrating analysis of U.S. foreign policy and international conflicts will be sorely missed, and not easily replaced. His son Nat Parry writes a tribute to his father: Robert Parry’s Legacy and the Future of Consortiumnews.

Thank you for donating

If you've made a donation and wish to receive thank you gifts for your donation, be sure to send us your mailing address via our Contact form.

See our thank you gifts for your donation.

The Resistance Starts Now!

Between The Lines' coverage and resource compilation of the Resistance Movement

"The man who predicted Trump presidential win now says Trump impeachment could happen," AM Joy with Joy Reid, MSNBC, Jan. 21, 2018
"Sketchy Kazakh money finds its way into Trump dealings," The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC, Jan. 15, 2018
"Red flags seen in many Trump real estate deals," The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC, Jan. 15, 2018
"Secret Money: How Trump Made Millions Selling Condos To Unknown Buyers," BuzzFeed, Jan. 12, 2018
"The Scandals of Donald Trump: Presidential Edition," The Atlantic, May 15, 2017
"Here's what we know so far about Team Trump's ties to Russian interests," Washington Post's ongoing compilation
"What Comey Was Investigating, Explained," The Moscow Project, Center for American Progress

"Donald Trump's Financial Ties to Russian Oligarchs and Mobsters Detailed In Explosive New Documentary from the Netherlands," Dutch TV documentary, Alternet.org, May 12, 2017
Ongoing compilation of Trump's creeping authoritarianism," MotherJones.com
Full resource list ...

SPECIAL REPORT: "The Resistance - Women's March 2018 - Hartford, Connecticut" Jan. 20, 2018

Selected speeches from the Women's March in Hartford, Connecticut 2018, recorded and produced by Scott Harris

SPECIAL REPORT: "No Fracking Waste in CT!" Jan. 14, 2018

Jen Siskind Jennifer Siskind, local coordinator for Food and Water Watch, describes the campaign to stop fracking waste in Connecticut, which so far has led to fracking waste bans in 34 towns around the state. Interviewed by Richard Hill on Mic Check, WPKN Radio, Bridgeport, CT

SPECIAL REPORT: "Resistance Round Table: The Unraveling Continues..." Jan. 13, 2018

Lindsay Kanaly The panel discusses Trump's long history of racism and the Republican voter suppression juggernaut confronting Democrats leading up to the 2018 elections. Special guest: Lindsay Kanaly, a lead organizer of the Women's Marches planned for Jan. 20, 2018. Panel: Scott Harris, Ruthanne Baumgartner and Richard Hill on Resistance Roundtable, WPKN Radio, Bridgeport, CT.

SPECIAL REPORT: "Capitalism to the ash heap?" Richard Wolff, Jan. 2, 2018

Richard Wolff, Economics professor Richard Wolff declares U.S. capitalism to be beyond repair and suggests the need for a radical alternative. Interviewed by Richard Hill

SPECIAL REPORT: Maryn McKenna, author of "Big Chicken", Dec. 7, 2017

Maryn McKenna, investigative journalist and author of Big Chicken, talks about the widespread use and dangers of antibiotics in commercial poultry, beef and fruit production. Interview by Bill Duesing, Richard Hill and Guy Beardsly on WPKN's Organic Farm Stand.

SPECIAL REPORT: Nina Turner's address, Working Families Party Awards Banquet, Dec. 14, 2017

Nina Turner, president of Our Revolution, talks about the fight ahead for progressives as she receives the Working Families Organization Award for Exceptional Leadership Towards Advancing Progress. The event was held in Meriden, CT. Produced by Richard Hill.

SPECIAL REPORT: Mic Check, Dec. 12, 2017

Working Families Party of CT talks strategy and issues for 2018.
Lindsay Farrell, executive director of the Working Families Party of Connecticut, discusses the state's electoral landscape and lays out the issues and strategies that could lead to progressive victories in 2018. Interviewed by Richard Hill.

SPECIAL REPORT: Resistance Roundtable, Dec. 9, 2017

Disturbing developments in the Trump/Republican Agenda
Focus on the tax bill, destruction of our public lands, North Korea and Trump's private CIA. Panel: Scott Harris, Ruthanne Baumgartner and Richard Hill. Special guest: Jo Macallero of Rise and Resist.

SPECIAL REPORT: On Tyranny - one year later, Nov. 28, 2017

Professor Timothy Snyder, author of the highly acclaimed resistance manual On Tyranny, discusses his book and offers a fresh assessment of the state of our beleaguered republic. Timothy Snyder, history professor at Yale, is introduced by Stanley Heller, administrator of Promoting Enduring Peace, a Connecticut-based organization that sponsored this event at the United Church Parish House in New Haven on Nov. 28. A brief interview with Snyder conducted by WPKN radio producer, Richard Hill, follows his talk.

SPECIAL REPORT: Mic Check, Nov. 12, 2017

Lynne Ide, director of program and policy with the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, talks about the current state of health care coverage in Connecticut. Interviewed by Richard Hill, WPKN radio producer

SPECIAL REPORT: Resistance Roundtable, Nov. 11, 2017

Focus on the Republican tax plan, the just-released autopsy on the Democratic Party, and Internet censorship by Google, Facebook and Youtube. Including an interview with Hilary Grant, a lead organizer with Action Together Connecticut, who discusses the local results of the recent election, with hosts Richard Hill, Scott Harris and Ruth Baumgartner WPKN producers

SPECIAL REPORT: Rainy Day Radio, Nov. 7, 2017

Two leaders from Redneck Revolt, an anti-racist, anti-capitalist movement, talk about their work organizing with white working class people in Suffolk County, New York. Interviewed by Richard Hill, WPKN radio producer

SPECIAL REPORT: Rainy Day Radio, Nov. 7, 2017

Bruce Gagnon, coordinator for the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, describes the extent of -- and motives underlying -- the vast US network of military bases around the globe. Interviewed by Richard Hill, WPKN radio producer

SPECIAL REPORT: Resisting U.S. JeJu Island military base in South Korea, Oct. 24, 2017

Joyakol, South Korean peace activist and singer, discusses the crisis on the Korean peninsula and focuses on the resistance to the U.S. huge military base being constructed on Jeju Island. The event was sponsored by the Greater New Haven Peace Council and this audio was recorded by Richard Hill, WPKN producer.
Joyakol discusses Americans' biggest misconceptions about the conflict between North and South Korea and the U.S., Interview by Richard Hill, WPKN producer.

SPECIAL REPORT: John Allen, Out in New Haven

John Allen, founding director of the New Haven Pride Center, Connecticut, talks about his new LGBTQ television show, Out in New Haven, which presents a range of political and cultural issues to the community. Interviewed by Richard Hill on WPKN's Rainy Day Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018.

2017 Gandhi Peace Awards

Promoting Enduring Peace presented its Gandhi Peace Award jointly to renowned consumer advocate Ralph Nader and BDS founder Omar Barghouti on April 23, 2017.

Subscribe to our Weekly Summary & receive our FREE Resist Trump window cling

(Car window cling)

Email us with your mailing address at contact@btlonline.org to receive our "Resist Trump/Resist Hate" car window cling!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE...

who helped make our 25th anniversary with Jeremy Scahill a success!

For those who missed the event, or were there and really wanted to fully absorb its import, here it is in video

Jeremy Scahill keynote speech, part 1 from PROUDEYEMEDIA on Vimeo.

Jeremy Scahill keynote speech, part 2 from PROUDEYEMEDIA on Vimeo.

Between The Lines on Stitcher

Between The Lines Presentation at the Left Forum 2016

"How Do We Build A Mass Movement to Reverse Runaway Inequality?" with Les Leopold, author of "Runaway Inequality: An Activist's Guide to Economic Justice,"May 22, 2016, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York, 860 11th Ave. (Between 58th and 59th), New York City. Between The Lines' Scott Harris and Richard Hill moderated this workshop. Listen to the audio/slideshows and more from this workshop.

Listen to audio of the plenary sessions from the weekend.

JEREMY SCAHILL: Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker "Dirty Wars"

Listen to the full interview (30:33) with Jeremy Scahill, an award-winning investigative journalist with the Nation Magazine, correspondent for Democracy Now! and author of the bestselling book, "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army," about America's outsourcing of its military. In an exclusive interview with Counterpoint's Scott Harris on Sept. 16, 2013, Scahill talks about his latest book, "Dirty Wars, The World is a Battlefield," also made into a documentary film under the same title, and was nominated Dec. 5, 2013 for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary Feature category.

Listen to Scott Harris Live on WPKN Radio

Between The Lines' Executive Producer Scott Harris hosts a live, weekly talk show, Counterpoint, from which some of Between The Lines' interviews are excerpted. Listen every Monday evening from 8 to 10 p.m. EDT at www.WPKN.org (Follows the 5-7 minute White Rose Calendar.)

Counterpoint in its entirety is archived after midnight ET Monday nights, and is available for at least a year following broadcast in WPKN Radio's Archives.

You can also listen to full unedited interview segments from Counterpoint, which are generally available some time the day following broadcast.

Subscribe to Counterpoint bulletins via our subscriptions page.

BTL Blog

"The Rogue World Order: Connecting the Dots Between Trump, Flynn, Bannon, Spencer, Dugin Putin," by Anna Manzo (GlobalHealing), Daily Kos, Feb. 13, 2017

"Widespread Resistance Begins to Trump's Muslim Travel Ban at U.S. Airports," by Anna Manzo (GlobalHealing), Daily Kos, Jan. 28, 2017

"MSNBC Editor: Women's March is a Revival of the Progressive Movement," by Anna Manzo (GlobalHealing), Daily Kos, Jan. 24, 2017

"Cornering Trump," by Reginald Johnson, Jan. 19, 2017

"Free Leonard Peltier," by Reginald Johnson, Jan. 6, 2016

"For Natives, a "Day of Mourning"by Reginald Johnson, November 23, 2016

"A Bitter Harvest" by Reginald Johnson, Nov. 15, 2016

Special Programming

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Progressive Resources

A compilation of activist and news sites with a progressive point of view

Share this content:

|

Subscribe to BTL

Podcasts MP3s

Subscribe to Program Summaries, Interview Transcripts or Counterpoint via email or RSS feed

If you have other questions regarding subscriptions, feeds or podcasts/mp3s go to our Audio Help page.

Between The Lines Blog

Stay connected to BTL

Learn how to support our efforts!

Online Store

Tweets by @BTLRadioNews

With Custody Transferred to Baghdad Government, Iraqi Prisoners Suffer Torture and Abuse

Real Audio MP3/Podcast

Interview with Geneve Mantri, Amnesty International's government relations director for terrorism and counter-terrorism, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

iraqdetainee Amnesty International released a new report on Sept. 12 titled, "New Order, Same Abuses: Unlawful Detentions and Torture in Iraq," which highlights concerns about the treatment of Iraqi prisoners now under the control of Iraqi security forces, after the U.S. transferred their authority to the Baghdad government.

Amnesty International released a new report on Sept. 12 titled, "New Order, Same Abuses: Unlawful Detentions and Torture in Iraq," which highlights concerns about the treatment of Iraqi prisoners now under the control of Iraqi security forces, after the U.S. transferred their authority to the Baghdad government.

Through interviews gleaned from former prisoners and others, the report focuses on many kinds of abuse, including detainees being subjected to beatings, suspension by their limbs, electric shock, suffocation, threats of rape, arbitrary arrest and being held without charge or trial. Amnesty estimates that 30,000 detainees are currently being held without trial in Iraq. More than 400 detainees were held in a secret prison at the old Muthanna airport, whose existence was revealed publicly in April 2010.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Geneve Mantri, Amnesty International's government relations director for terrorism and counter-terrorism, who describes how the report was compiled and explains what Amnesty hopes will happen as a result to protect the rights of Iraqis, regardless of their guilt or innocence for the crimes they are accused of committing.

GENEVE MANTRI: Most of these reports are always done in a similar kind of way. There's an investigative team that also involves a group that goes out to the ground that conducts interviews. Because of the nature of this subject and the security situation, a number of interviews were conducted in Iraq. Some were conducted over the phone and some were conducted by Iraqis that had been forced out, part of the larger refugee population in surrounding countries.

Some of the core facts are not known. One of the facts is, just how many people are being held. We have an estimate that 30,000 people are being held without charge, but clearly because we aren't going to be able to verify that from the Iraqis and the Iraqis aren't able to verify that; the real number remains unknown. Frankly, it's very difficult to get accurate information from the authorities. People say these populations are shifting and changing, it's a complex situation, those kind of things. A subset of these people were frankly picked up by the Americans some time ago and held without charge, and some were actually recommended for release by the Americans, but under the status of forces agreement, both the prisons and the prison population have to be turned over to the Iraqi authorities, and so we're still dealing with the legacy of U.S. involvement in Iraq.

BETWEEN THE LINES: You know, well, U.S. behavior in Iraq regarding prisoners ... it's a pretty low bar. Does the report then say that Iraqis who now have custody of their fellow Iraqi citizens are behaving even worse, and there's more torture and more deaths among Iraqi prisoners?

GENEVE MANTRI: Well, I think it's a complex picture. By the time American forces were leaving in the past couple years, you may have heard stories about Gen. Stone that went to Iraq and by the time he started his work and was able to put in place a lot of interesting reforms to actually get prisons in Iraq to a pretty good standard, where not only were they trying to separate the detainee population between those who were hard-core extremists and those who were just randomly selected; but also running education programs, running things to allow people to develop vocational skills, so you really didn't have a situation where people were being picked up and put into what he called extremist universities or jihadi universities, where they were going to be kicked out into the population in a much worse state than when they went in.

Many were unable to read and write, and so they put in place programs to allow them to study and so they weren't going to be radicalized inside these facilities. Unfortunately, in the process of leaving Iraq, because of the status of forces agreement and the security situation, a lot of these programs are not going to be held in place for a long time, and you've got a situation where really you've got a continuing history from the Saddam era 'til now. Many of the abuses you hear about from Iraqi facilities, you wouldn't be surprised if you heard those stories many, many years ago, and unfortunately, although these facts are difficult to get, they are so consistent, they're from so many sources and from so many different organizations, that it's hard to say anything other than there is substantial reason to be concerned about these things. Not only random arrests, arbitrary arrests, abuse of prisoners, extortion, corruption, lack of access to lawyers, many people have been abducted, many people are held without charge, and many people have been held for some time, often years.

BETWEEN THE LINES: So, is your goal to shed light on this and exert moral pressure on the Iraqis ... there's hardly a functioning government there, so what do you think should or can happen?

GENEVE MANTRI: I think there are a couple of things that really should happen. One is that, when the U.S. goes into countries like this, basically turns their entire society upside down, and I think Colin Powell's rule applies: If you break it, you own it. And regardless of what the headlines may say, we still have an amazing authority on the ground and we still have a considerable moral authority for the things that are happening. The U.S. does have a very unique situation in Iraq in terms of its ability to influence the government and it also has a responsibility for some of the abuses that remain.

And I think the things we're calling for -- that the Iraqi government has to comply with international law, and even the Iraqi's law that they recognize themselves, which is to say they must release all the Iraqis they're holding or charge them with recognizable offenses; that all aspects of torture and all use of torture and ill treatment have to be ended immediately and properly investigated and anybody who's implicated has to be brought to justice; they have to ensure that anybody who's picked up and is questioned has access to a lawyer and is brought before a judge, which Iraqi law demands; and they have to allow for proper mechanisms so Iraqi detainees are able to challenge the legal basis of their detention. Unfortunately, another problem is that many people who are picked up are moved and you can't tell where they're being held; their families have no idea where they're being held, and they have to ensure that those who are being held are held in recognizable places of detention and are held within a regular authority, and unfortunately, many of the people conducting these abuses are part of the Interior Ministry or the Ministry of Defense, and it's being done for sectarian reasons or "security" reasons.

Contact Amnesty International's Washington, D. C. office at (202) 675-8754 or visit their website at amnesty.org, where you can read a copy of the "New Order, Same Abuses" report.