Supreme Court rules against Guantanamo detainee seeking info about his torture
CBSSep 09, 2021
The Facts
In a 7-2 ruling, SCOTUS has blocked two former CIA contractors from being questioned as part of a criminal investigation in Poland over their role in interrogating Abu Zubaydah, the first prisoner in the agency's infamous "enhanced interrogation" program.
Zubaydah has been held at Guantanamo Bay since 2006 and wished to subpoena the two who allegedly developed a program of waterboarding, sleep deprivation and other techniques used overseas under Bush.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The facts of Zubaydah's case are horrific and based off incorrect information assuming him to be a high-ranking member of al-Qaeda. America's attempt to reject and hide rather than make amends for what is widely recognized as a stain in the country's history is reprehensible. They must be held accountable.
Pro-establishment narrative
SCOTUS isn't condoning torture; there are valid reasons for the government not wanting the CIA contractors to testify. Subjecting information about CIA detention centers and operations abroad to public review could have serious consequences for American intelligence agencies, deterring foreign nations from cooperating with them in the future.