Overview
"Firsthand testimonies from Guantanamo Bay, inspiring future generations to never repeat the human rights violations of the detention center. Firsthand testimonies from Guantanamo Bay, inspiring future generations to never repeat the human rights violations of the detention center. Law scholar and Witness to Guantanamo founder Peter Jan Honigsberg uncovers a haunting portrait of life at the military prison and its toll, not only on the detainees and their loved ones but also on its military and civilian personnel and the journalists who reported on it. Honigsberg conducted 158 interviews across 20 countries so that the people who lived and worked there could tell their heartbreaking and inspirational stories. In each one, we face the reality that the healing process cannot begin until we start the conversation about what was done in the name of protecting our country. These are a few of them. Many alleged operatives in Guantanamo were purchased by the United States for ransom from Afghan and Pakistani soldiers. Brandon Neely, a prison guard who processed the first group of suspected operatives to arrive in Cuba, flew to London to embrace the detainees he guarded after leaving the military. Navy whistleblower Matt Diaz covertly released the names of 500 detainees by sending them in a greeting card to a lawyer in New York. Journalist Carol Rosenberg committed the past 17 years of her career to documenting life at Guantanamo. And Damien Corsetti, an interrogator who came to be known as the ""King of Torture,"" received ribbons and awards for the same cruel actions for which he was later prosecuted. In startling, aching prose, A Place Outside the Law shines a light on these unheard voices, and through them, encourages the global community to embrace humanity as our greatest tool to make the world a safer place."
Full Product Details
Author: Peter Jan Honigsberg
Publisher: Beacon Press
Imprint: Beacon Press
Weight: 0.567kg
ISBN: 9780807026984
ISBN 10: 0807026980
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 12 November 2019
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
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Reviews
A Place Outside the Law, Peter Honigsberg's report on US torture at Guant namo, conveys the torture message with a fierceness and presence unlike any other. The reader hears the plaintive, tormented voices of both sides of the cruelties, tortured and torturer--or, as Nietzsche wrote, when you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back. --Lawrence Wilkerson, colonel, US Army (retired), and former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell A Place Outside the Law documents a dark time in America's history and serves as an important reminder that the Constitution cannot be set aside for reasons of expediency. Ultimately, if America is to be an example and a force for good in the world, we must recognize that GITMO was a mistake and should never be repeated. --Major General Mike Lehnert, USMC (ret.), former Joint Task Force Guant namo commander Many Americans have forgotten the horrors of Guant namo, perhaps unaware that the prison still operates today. Honigsberg interviews not only detainees, but generals, interrogators, JAGS, chaplains, and guards. Their compelling, human stories paint a rich and complex picture of a deeply controversial chapter in America's history. --Jennifer M. Granholm, former governor of Michigan A Place Outside the Law makes an indispensable contribution to accountability for the multiple transgressions of the rule of law that the United States has committed--and continues to commit--in the Global War on Terror. From ignoring the presumption of innocence, to outrageous behavior against defense lawyers, from disappearance and prolonged arbitrary detention to physical and psychological torture, this shameful page of US history still demands truth and justice. Peter Jan Honigsberg's book adds human voices and touching stories to show us why we need to insist on the US government's obligation to investigate, reveal the truth, and prosecute and punish the perpetrators, especially those bearing the greatest responsibility for these crimes. This book brings us closer to that inevitable hour of reckoning. --Juan Mendez, former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture
A Place Outside the Law documents a dark time in America's history and serves as an important reminder that the Constitution cannot be set aside for reasons of expediency. Ultimately, if America is to be an example and a force for good in the world, we must recognize that GITMO was a mistake and should never be repeated. --Major General Mike Lehnert, USMC (ret.), former Joint Task Force Guant namo commander Many Americans have forgotten the horrors of Guant namo, perhaps unaware that the prison still operates today. Honigsberg interviews not only detainees, but generals, interrogators, JAGS, chaplains, and guards. Their compelling, human stories paint a rich and complex picture of a deeply controversial chapter in America's history. --Jennifer M. Granholm, former governor of Michigan
Author Information
Peter Jan Honigsberg is a professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law and the founder and director of Witness to Guantanamo. His research and teaching focuses on the rule of law and human rights violations that occurred in the detention center in Guantanamo, as well as on the study of terrorism and post-9/11 issues. His books include Our Nation Unhinged- The Human Consequences of the War on Terror and Crossing Border Street- A Civil Rights Memoir. Honigsberg lives in Berkeley, CA.
