Equatorial Guinea: Torture is Rife in Prisons, Says UN Expert Nov 20, 2008
Political prisoners in one prison have been held in solitary confinement for up to four years, without being allowed the one hour of exercise per day required by international minimum standards. "Moreover, they are held in leg irons practically all the time. Prolonged solitary confinement and the permanent use of leg irons amount to inhuman treatment.". (allAfrica.com)
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (Nov. 16) Nov 20, 2008
EH wrote on Nov 19, 2008 2:59 PM:" DD I took the time too put this together and I hope it answers all your questions of the freedoms we have lost.Through the enactment of the USA PATRIOT Act and subsequentexecutive directives and regulations, essential rights and freedomsthat were once guaranteed to all individuals have been substantiallydegraded. Many Americans still do not realize the significance ofwhat we have lost. The resulting expansion of government powers,and the erosion of 1st, 4th,... (Albany Democrat-Herald, OR)
Letter from America Nov 20, 2008
There, after several years of brutal treatment, often in solitary confinement, totally cut off from any contact with the outside world or with each other, the men succeeded in having their designation as enemy combatants removed, which is what prompted the Bush administration to try to find a country that would take them. It did so in the case of five of the men, who went to Albania a couple of years ago, but the rest remain caught in what would seem to be a remarkable inconsistency in American... (International Herald Tribune)
Springford pleads guilty Nov 19, 2008
Springford spent most of his time in solitary confinement. A few months ago he went for a mental competency exam and the results indicated he was capable of standing trial. (WSJA.com, AL)
Mr. President, college playoff can wait Nov 19, 2008
On second thought, Cuban might find solitary confinement therapeutic. 7: To President-elect Barack Obama: If I may speak for 303 million Americans. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Sports)
Congressmen to Bush: Pardon Imprisoned Border Agents Nov 19, 2008
In February 2007, a gang of illegal immigrants severely beat Ramos while he was in prison, and he and Compean were placed in solitary confinement for their own protection ... Congressman Tancredos letter to Obama included this plea: I respectfully urge you to use your power as president to take the immediate, appropriate and long overdue step of freeing them in your first two weeks in office, and see to it that agents Ramos and Compean spend Presidents Day at home with their families ... (Newsmax)
Former president of Taiwan in hospital after hunger strike Nov 18, 2008
He spent time reading legal documents about his case in solitary confinement, Lee said. Prosecutors say they have enough evidence to hold Chen as they prepare a formal indictment and have denied government interference in the case. (International Herald Tribune)
Jailed Taiwanese Ex-Leader Hospitalized Nov 17, 2008
A prison doctor examined 57-year-old Chen on Sunday and recommended his hospitalization, said Lee Ta-chu, an official at Tucheng Jail, where Chen had been held in solitary confinement since Wednesday while prosecutors investigate graft allegations against him. Chen "is having difficulty breathing and is complaining of pain on the left side of his chest," Lee told The Associated Press. (Time.com)
Arrests. Beatings. Torture. All Part of Job Description For Uzbek Rights Activists Nov 16, 2008
It has been nearly six months since Uzbek human rights activist Mutabar Tojibaeva, 45, was released from Tashkent city prison, but she says she still has nightmares about her captivity, especially her time in solitary confinement ... She says she spent 112 days in solitary confinement, in a dark and cold room. (EurasiaNet.org)
Justice: Begging Your Pardon Nov 15, 2008
Ramos has been held in solitary confinement under conditions liberals would not tolerate at Guantanamo Bay for his protection. He was assaulted his first week in prison. (Investors Business Daily)
Texas man sentenced for threatening President Bush Nov 13, 2008
HOUSTON - An inmate who threatened to kill President Bush in letters written while he was being held in solitary confinement was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. Story tools. (Anchorage Daily News)
Amnesty: Iran frees American-born student Nov 13, 2008
She had been held in solitary confinement in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, Change For Equality said ... Momeni's father, Gholamreza Momeni, initially condemned his daughter's arrest, saying that even if she confessed to a crime, "anything my daughter may say in solitary confinement is worthless," according to roozonline. (CNN -- World)
John McCain: No 2012 White House run :-)) Nov 12, 2008
John McCain: "Just about every day, but especially on Veterans Day, I think of a guy I was in prison with a long time ago. For a few years we were in Hanoi and prison camps in North Vietnam. They kept us in solitary confinement, two or three to a cell. "They finally moved us into large cells, 20 or 25 prisoners in each cell. The guy that moved in with me was a guy named Mike Christian. (Los Angeles Times)
Maldives to buy new homeland as sea levels rise Nov 10, 2008
Before taking office the President asked Maldivians to move forward without rancour or retribution - an astonishing call, given that Mr Nasheed had gone to jail 23 times, been tortured and spent 18 months in solitary confinement. The Maldives is one of the few Muslim nations to make a relatively peaceful transition from autocracy to democracy. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
DVD Report: This week's new releases (Nov. 9) Nov 9, 2008
(Shrek reads "Christmas for Village Idiots," Pinocchio shrieks his way through a version of "Don't Stop Believin' " that would make Tony Soprano welcome solitary confinement. . (Boston Globe)
Saudi hunger strike for prisoners Nov 8, 2008
Nine political activists remain in solitary confinement after being arrested in February 2007 in Jeddah as they were preparing to launch a reformist movement. They were widely accused of financing terrorism in Iraq, but their supporters believe they were arrested for speaking out for political reform. (BBC News -- Africa)
Tell us what you think Nov 8, 2008
To be Real Death Penalty is probably easy way out if you put him in Solitary Confinement for the rest of his life much worse punishment. By Rocky. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Saudi hunger strikers risk arrest for protest Nov 7, 2008
Nine of the detained men, who were arrested in Jeddah in February, 2007, were accused of supporting terrorism and sent to solitary confinement without formal charge. Human-rights groups say they were jailed for pressing for political reform. (Globe and Mail)
More of this story... Nov 7, 2008
Hansen was transferred to Dulag Luft near Frankfurt where he was placed in solitary confinement with a straw mattress and lots of lice in the room. After two days he was taken out and met his first large group of POWs. (The Exeter Sun, CA)
Former teacher gets 5 years for student sex Nov 7, 2008
He has been in solitary confinement at the Palm Beach County Jail since he allegedly begged an intermediary to tell one of the teens he would pay her to stop cooperating with police. Brown allowed him to rejoin the general population at the jail before leaving for prison. (The Palm Beach Post)
McCain concedes race Nov 6, 2008
"During the years, we were kept in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell because they didn't want us to see each other. We'd spend all our time tapping on the walls to each other and encouraging each other and organizing, organizing, organizing with our chain of command. The days and hours go by," McCain once told CNN.. "But, you know, the camaraderie, the friendship, the love that we had for each other was still the most remarkable experience of my life. They're the ones I know best... (CNN -- World)
Mad Men, Mad Women Nov 4, 2008
I ve been with men who if you breathed in their direction, they acted like they were fresh out of solitary confinement. I ve also dated men who seriously just wanted to taste it, and they could go to sleep afterwards, no problem. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Living)
Sins of the father cast a shadow on son Nov 3, 2008
Amir is currently in solitary confinement, barred from using the telephone, receiving visitors or conjugal visits. Ms Trembovler, 41, has a quivering voice that she barely raises as she speaks, weighing her words carefully. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
* Rabins killer moved after interviews Nov 2, 2008
He will also be held in solitary confinement. Israels Channel 10 and Channel 2 broadcast excerpts of interviews they conducted with Amir during their main news broadcast on Thursday night. (Taipei Times, Taiwan)
Feds defend holding al-Qaida suspect Nov 1, 2008
Al-Marri, a legal U.S. resident, has been held in solitary confinement at a U.S. Navy brig near Charleston since 2003. He was living in Illinois when he was arrested by the FBI in December 2001 as a material witness to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. (MSNBC -- International)
Matt Frei: Battle of the generations Nov 1, 2008
Perhaps the man who had spent almost six years in solitary confinement had developed political Stockholm syndrome. He had become dependent on his captors. (BBC News)
Row over Rabin killer interview Nov 1, 2008
Amir has been moved to solitary confinement and denied telephone use and conjugal visits as punishment. The ultra-nationalist Jew, who opposed the Oslo peace process, has shown no remorse for shooting Rabin in 1995. (BBC News -- Africa)
Rabin's assassin says he was prodded Nov 1, 2008
As punishment for giving interviews without permission, the Prisons Authority moved Mr. Amir to solitary confinement in a different prison. He has been forbidden to use the telephone, receive visitors or hold conjugal visits with his wife, a statement said. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Woman tells tale of surviving reform’ (43) Nov 1, 2008
Minutes later, the 16-year-old was being dragged through the doors of Victory Christian Academy and put into solitary confinement as she begged her parents not to send her away ... Finally, in 1992, the academy was shut down after the State of California Department of Social Services discovered a long list of violations, including a 4-foot-by-4-foot solitary confinement chamber, no sprinkler systems, malfunctioning smoke detectors, deadbolted exit doors, and boxes full of unlabeled medications... (Corvallis Gazette Times, OR)
Asian focus, no matter the victor Oct 31, 2008
He was rewarded with two years in solitary confinement and tortured. The ordeal taught him "teamwork and sacrifice," he writes, and it made him a better man. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
McCain the "maverick" fights his ultimate battle Oct 31, 2008
Tortured and in solitary confinement for more than two of his 5 1/2 years as a POW, McCain turned down a chance to leave prison before comrades who had entered earlier. "That is a defining moment in his life, and it speaks volumes about who he is to the American people," said Steve Schmidt, a top McCain aide. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
'Anni' heralds new era in Maldives Oct 30, 2008
Mr Nasheed spent 18 months in solitary confinement, alleging torture at the hands of the then National Security Services (NSS), which has since been split into the police and armed forces. Punishments included severe sleep and water deprivation, being fed food with crushed glass and being chained to a chair outside for 12 days. (BBC News)
Borton's Blog: Building talk gets hammered Oct 30, 2008
A 2-6 record around Ann Arbor is a like a year in solitary confinement. It can make anyone a little crazy. (Michigan Sports -- Rivals.com)
Maldives Rejects Leader in Election Oct 30, 2008
He claims to have been kept in solitary confinement for 18 months and to have been chained by national security agents to a chair and left outside for 12 days. In 1996, his struggle earned him recognition as an Amnesty International "Prisoner of Conscience.". (Time.com)
Maldives holds election run-off Oct 28, 2008
When asked how it felt, to be standing, potentially, on the brink of power after years spent in the pro-democracy struggle, Mr Nasheed said: "I've been tortured twice, I've spent numerous years behind bars and numerous days in solitary confinement. It's heart lifting to see that if you work on something consistently without losing focus that you will be able to achieve your goals.". But President Gayoom is confident of victory too. (BBC News)
People Profile --Clower spent 5 years as Hanoi POW, released with McCain Oct 28, 2008
These refusals by young McCain infuriated the North Vietnamese enemy to an opposite reaction keeping him in solitary confinement for more than a year; perhaps totaling more than two years on multiple occasions. With this set of circumstances, it s certainly not surprising Doug Clower never met John McCain during their mutual time spent in a crowded, yet sprawling, Hanoi Hilton POW complex. (Brenham Banner, TX)
Impeach President Kufuor -Busia's Daughter Oct 28, 2008
A snapshot of Solitary Confinement When my official residence almost burnt down the CID failed to show up to collect evidence. With my plea for life to the President ignored, and a refusal by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defense and Interior to investigate my petition against Francis Poku also ignored this is what happened to persons who attempted to help me. (Ghana Web, Ghana)
TERROR, PHILLY STYLE Oct 28, 2008
Among its many innovations, the big house on Fairmount Avenue (curiously, right down the street from the Philadelphia Museum of Art) was the first institution to implement solitary confinement. In fact, guards would wear socks over their shoes while making their rounds to mute their footsteps. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Ex-generals: Review Bush's authority Oct 24, 2008
That brief and others from retired military officers, professors and nonprofit organizations were filed in support of a request by Ali al-Marri, a native of Qatar held in solitary confinement at a U.S. Navy prison near Charleston since 2003. He has not been charged. (MSNBC -- Politics)
Truth or fiction Oct 24, 2008
Michael Peterson, who later changed his name in homage to the tough guy actor Charles Bronson, has spent 34 years in jail - 22 of them in solitary confinement - and is currently incarcerated in Wakefield prison. The Times' chief film critic, James Christopher, said of the film: "It is a compelling portrait of the damaged man beneath the tabloid myth. Tom Hardy delivers an unnerving performance as the laconic fantasist who has spent 34 years of his life behind bars.". (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Montreal church offers to sponsor Gitmo detainee Oct 23, 2008
Mr. Ameziane, who fled Algeria nearly 16 years ago, never imagined he would end up in one of the world's most notorious prisons, where, according to his lawyers, he spent time in solitary confinement and has been subjected to various forms of torture. There are moments during our meetings at Guantanamo when he pauses and softly shakes his head in disbelief that he's still at Guantanamo and justice has not prevailed for him, Ms. Kebriaei said. (Globe and Mail -- National)
Wait and see: Iranian SU professor doesn't want to return to Iran but he might have to Oct 23, 2008
She was held for 105 days in solitary confinement on charges of harming national security before she was allowed to return to the United States, according to a CNN article from Sept. 9, 2007. The humanitarian organization Human Rights Watch has called for accountability in the Iranian government's arrests and oppression of dissidents and intellectuals. (Daily Orange, NY)
OCEANSIDE: Former political prisoner honored at Freedom Walk Oct 20, 2008
She says her captors took her out of solitary confinement and gave her a mat to sleep on, allowed her to receive medical treatment and even see her family. During one of those visits she heard her children say Mother, they are trying to help you. (North County Times)
Editorial observer: The case against and for Khodorkovsky Oct 20, 2008
Earlier this month, his lawyers said he was put in solitary confinement for 12 days for giving a written interview to the Russian edition of Esquire magazine. The interviewer was Grigory Chkhartishvili, who, under the pen name Boris Akunin, is one of the most popular writers in Russia today. (International Herald Tribune)
Inmate loses $1M lawsuit in sex case Oct 19, 2008
Jack Harris sued Doug Diltz, claiming he suffered mental anguish from being in solitary confinement for four months in 2005. He had sought 1 million in damages. (Sioux City Journal, IO)
Obama right man for tough times Oct 19, 2008
He served time in prison, including 100 days in solitary confinement. McCain has never repudiated Liddys scandalous and criminal acts. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Kurds clash with cops Oct 19, 2008
Ocalan's lawyers had reported he had been assaulted by a guard and threatened with death in his island prison of Imrali, in the northwest, where he has been held in solitary confinement since 1999. Similar reports in the past have stirred anger among Kurds who look on Ocalan, head of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, as a hero. (iAfrica.com)
Morocco 'spy' starts terror trial Oct 17, 2008
Abdelkader Belliraj's lawyer said he had been held in solitary confinement ... The BBC's James Copnall reports from Rabat that the lawyer, Mohamed Ziane, made an impassioned plea for improved conditions for his client, who he said had been held in solitary confinement since his arrest in February. (BBC News -- Africa)
Celil allowed to meet with mother, sister Oct 14, 2008
It is obvious that staying in solitary confinement, without any exposure to the sun and served only one meal with no nutritional value made him vulnerable. In another portion of the recording, Mr. Tohti says Mr. Celil can faintly be heard using the Uyghur words for my country a reference, his family says, to Canada. (Globe and Mail)
Co-working sites cater to the lonely self-employed Oct 14, 2008
Across the country, spaces are springing up to meet the demands of a new work force, made up of self-employed entrepreneurs or part-time employees for whom the freedom of padding down the hallway to their home office in slippers and pajamas has turned into a home-based version of solitary confinement. It s called co-working, and the places where it s happening are as flexible as the hours of the people who use them. (Corvallis Gazette Times, OR)
Politics: McCain's fellow POWs recount Vietnam Oct 14, 2008
Coffee, whose plane had been downed during a reconnaissance mission Feb. 3, 1966, heard of McCain's arrival from other soldiers in their solitary confinement prison because he was the son of a top admiral ... McCain was beaten, kept in solitary confinement and tied up in ropes. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Raja Petra sedition trial: Better food now Oct 13, 2008
Asked on how he was being treated by others in the camp, Raja Petra said he did not get to mix around as he was placed in solitary confinement for three months. He said he was spending his time reading. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- News)
Group against death penalty rallies in Helena (190) Oct 11, 2008
On death row, much of his time was spent in solitary confinement. The cell was so small he could touch all the walls from where he sat on his bed. (Helena Independent Record, MT)
Your virtual vacation Oct 11, 2008
Graffiti artist David Choe gets himself into all kinds trouble and he's proud of it until he lands in a solitary confinement prison in Tokyo. While in prison, he reassesses his life and emerges with a will to change. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Bringing Guantanamo Home Oct 11, 2008
Indeed, reports have it that some still remain in solitary confinement there. In September, an appeals court found that one of the Uighurs, Huzaifa Parhat, had been labeled an "enemy combatant" and was subject to indefinite detention based on "bare assertions." The Bush administration has now conceded that none of the Uighurs are enemy combatants. (Slate)
AIIMS animal lab: House of horrors? Oct 10, 2008
"When I asked the senior veterinary officer about this, he said that it was because the animals had a nervous breakdown. The solitary confinement for years, stress, boredom and frustration lead to that," she said. During the days she spent there, Seth did not see the vet go through the facility even once. (Sify.com, India)
Lindy's Last Flight Oct 10, 2008
Although Lindstrom said he has never suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, he did travail through a year of maltreatment, poor conditions and even solitary confinement in a German prisoner of war camp ... "Thirty-two of us were captured in the Pyranese Mountains in France." They were taken to three different POW camps, and Lindstrom spent the first month in solitary confinement in Barth, Germany, with no contact with the outside world, no shower, only scraps for food to eat and almost no... (Dallas County News, IA)
DiCaprio film glamorizes Jordan's feared spy agency Oct 10, 2008
My sense is that the GID has done a better job over time in developing long-term penetrations of Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations than has the CIA." "I hope people will think of Jordan as a modern, generally well-run country with a tough intelligence service that has been a key ally of the United States in fighting Al Qaeda," he adds. Ignatius never saw GID's detention center, which he describes in the book as dark, cold, unsanitary, and foul-smelling. HRW's Mr. Wilcke was given access... (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Ex-Gitmo chaplain says case a cover-up Oct 10, 2008
Yee was charged with spying, aiding the enemy and other charges, and spent nearly 80 days in solitary confinement in a Navy brig. The West Point graduate said he was the target of a smear campaign waged to cover up prisoner abuse at the U.S. base in Cuba. (Florida Times-Union)
Ngo blames lawyers over final trial Oct 8, 2008
Ngo is 10 years into a life sentence for Mr Newman's murder and is being held in solitary confinement at Goulburn's maximum security prison. Outside court, Ms Le said Ngo had looked forward to his day in court. (The Age)
Judge frees Gitmo inmates Oct 8, 2008
Human Rights Watch also welcomed the "landmark decision" and said as many as six of the men were still imprisoned in solitary confinement. "The government should not drag its feet, but should immediately release these men from their unlawful confinement at Guantanamo," said Jennifer Daskal, senior counterterrorism counsel at Human Rights Watch. (iAfrica.com)
Pelo to appeal after judge denies request for shorter prison term Oct 7, 2008
wrote on Oct 6, 2008 5:02 PM:" It seems that convict Pelo has so many enemies (due to his former job or because of the crimes he commited) that solitary confinement might be best for him. ". SFer wrote on Oct 6, 2008 5:01 PM:" Sure and OJ got away with murder, continued to remain a threat to society, and now is going to prison for something totally unrelated - Rosenblat you are a sorry excuse for a professional. Excuse me for not wanting this cop to ever roam the streets again - he's a creep and... (The Pantagraph newspaper)
'Are you my sweetie?' For lorikeet ZaZu, life's a treat Oct 6, 2008
"It's like putting a human being in solitary confinement," says Tweti, who adopted ZaZu from a family that was giving him away. Parrot owners who no longer can handle the energetic, vocal creatures typically ditch them, Tweti says, filling bird sanctuaries that have sprung up across the country. (Boston Globe)
How captivity shaped McCain Oct 6, 2008
He spent much of that time in solitary confinement, able to communicate with his fellow prisoners only sporadically, by whispering messages in shower stalls and tapping laboriously through a thick brick wall. Accounts of his torture by the Vietnamese are largely based on his own reminiscences, particularly his 1999 memoir, "Faith of My Fathers.". (MSNBC -- Politics)
RPKs wife: Its about the detention, not the food Oct 5, 2008
During her 45-minute visit, Marina Lee said she spoke to Raja Petra, who is under solitary confinement, over a telephone and could only see him through a glass screen. He is allowed out of his cell from 7am to 7pm but confined to the block where his cell is located and not allowed to mingle with other detainees, Marina said. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
