Evil US Deeds Exposed by WikiLeaks

Human rights advocates have significant new sources of information to hold the United States accountable.  The transparency, which Wikileaks has brought about, unveils many cover-ups of injustices in US relations with Honduras, Spain, Thailand, UK and Yemen over issues of torture at Guantanamo, civilian casualties from drones, and the war in Iraq.    

US Government is Two Faced over Wikileaks

The US government has twisted itself into knots over Wikileaks.  It routinely disregards the privacy of citizens while at the same time trying to avoid transparency for itself. 

The US claims broad authority to secretly snoop on the lives of individuals inside and outside of the US.  It also works tirelessly to prevent citizens from knowing what is going on by expansively naming basic government information “state secrets.”  The government says it has to have the right to keep things secret in order to prevent crime.

But when it comes to revealing evidence of illegal acts by the US government it seeks the most severe sanctions against any transparency. 

The most glaring example of the twisted logic is on display within the US Department of Justice.  DOJ is searching for creative ways to criminally sanction Wikileaks for publishing US secrets.  But the same Department of Justice solemnly decided it should not prosecute the government officials who brazenly destroyed dozens of tapes of water-boarding and torture by US officials.  So, DOJ, destruction of evidence of crimes is OK and revealing the evidence of crimes is bad?    

Holiday Sampler from Wikileaks

Here is a Holiday Sampler of what Wikileaks has published revealing the US role in cover-ups, drones, and coups.

Cover-ups

Spain

The US worked with high-ranking officials in Spain to try to derail legal accountability for torture by US officials. 

Spain has opened two judicial inquiries into torture allegations against US officials at Guantanamo. 

A series of cables details secret meetings and communications between officials of the two countries.  An April 1, 2009 cable (Reference ID 09MADRID347) describes a meeting between the main Spanish prosecutor and US officials.  The prosecutor promises to proceed slowly and to try to make sure the case is not assigned to the most pro-human rights judge in Spain, Judge Garzon.  An April 19, 2009 cable (Reference 09MADRID392) tells of numerous meetings between US officials and Spanish officials, including the Attorney General of Spain, who promises not to support the case.  A cable dated May 5, 2009 (Reference ID 09MADRID440) describes further meetings between US officials and the prosecutor who promises to “embarrass” the Judge into dropping the case. 

It is noteworthy that the pro-human rights judge, Baltasar Garzon, was later indicted in April 2010 for probing into Spanish civil war atrocities in a way that Spanish government said was an abuse of power.

UK

The UK promised to protect US interests in the UK review of Iraq war.  In a September 22, 2009 cable (Reference ID 09LONDON2198) UK officials “promised that the UK had put measures into place to protect your interest during the inquiry into the causes of the Iraq war.  He noted that Iraq no longer seems to be a major issue in the US, but he said it would become a big issue – a feeding frenzy – in the UK when the inquiry takes off.”

Drones and Cover-ups

Amnesty International released pictures of a US manufactured cruise missile that carried cluster bombs used in December 17, 2009 attack on a community in Abyan, Yemen which killed 14 alleged members of Al Qaeda and 41 local residents – including 14 women and 21 children.  At the time of the AI report, June 6, 2010, Yemeni officials said that its forces had carried out that attack.  AI asked the US to explain its role but the US did not.  After Wikileaks disclosures, it is clear that the US carried out the attack and both countries were lying.