Remember this? Bush STOPPED Torture compensation to former POWs

[spooked]

Former Gulf War POWs tortured by Iraqis were awarded compensation by a Federal court from Iraq's frozen assets, yet the Bush administration blocked the POWs from collecting.
By Frederick Sweet

http://www.interventionmag.com/cms/modules.php?file=article&name=News&op=modload&sid=554

"The Bush administration stopped a group of former American POWs from collecting federal court-ordered compensation for their torture by Saddam Hussein's government during the Gulf War...

Last year, the former Gulf War POWs had sued Iraq for damages from mistreatment by Saddam's regime while they were in captivity. Then last July 7 — three months after the fall of Saddam's regime — U.S. District Judge Richard Roberts ordered Iraq to pay the 17 ex-POWs and their families $653 million in compensatory damages and $306 million in punitive damages.


But the Bush administration stopped payment arguing that the money was instead needed for reconstructing Iraq. Most of Iraq's money was slated by Bush for shipment to Baghdad where U.S. soldiers are handing out the cash to Iraqi civil servants and military pensioners.

A recent federal court ruling sided with the Bush White House in barring the former American POWs from collecting compensation money from Iraq. Now, Bush is trying to get the POWs’ entire case against Iraq thrown out -- a move the former POWs believe will wipe their torture out of the history books...


But John Choon Yoo, until recently an international lawyer with the Justice Department, said the POWs' suit was dangerous. "I terrifically sympathize with their personal situation and what they went through," he said, "BUT THE USE OF THE COURTS AND DAMAGES REMEDIES INTERFERES WITH THE PRESIDENT'S CONDUCT OF FOREIGN POLICY."



QUESTIONS/COMMENTS

The abuse described in this article sounds very much like the abuse we served up to Iraqi prisoners.

Abuse of one US POW involved making a video!
"I'll remember the rest of my life, a guy with a nickel-plated pistol to my head, made me make a video," Zaun said. "It's the worst thing I'd ever do, and I thought they'd kill me after I made the film."

Is there more to Bush's stopping the compensation than just the money?

As John Choon Yoo said, was it because it INTERFERES WITH THE PRESIDENT'S CONDUCT OF FOREIGN POLICY?" I think we have a better idea now what he meant by that.

John Choon Yoo, of course, is the same man who drafted the torture justification memo for Bush is currently a professor at Berkeley and was formerly international lawyer with the Justice Department.

[LittleApple81]

1. Your analysis makes sense. So it was not only the money but

the justification for the US becoming the torturer...
How twisted can they get? Pretty twisted! And Yoo says he just issued a legal opinion (because people are asking for his resignation/firing at the University where he teaches now)

[Senior citizen]

2. A wonder * doesn't stop military pay altogether

since it interferes with his foreign policy, which is apparently to use any excuse available to privatize the military-industrial complex so as to funnel as much taxpayer money as possible to his cronies and big corporate contributors.