Finally! The End of Torture

The documentary “Taxi to the Dark Side” gives shocks and shivers when detainees (terrorism suspects) are brutally kicked in the legs while chained in awkward positions, being questioned naked, getting forced to masturbate, and having violent dogs bark in their faces in Bagram, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

“Taxi to the Dark Side,” winner of an Oscar for best documentary of the year, written, produced and directed by Alex Gibney, shows the inhumane actions that are made upon the helpless detainees, but ends up being too long and a huge hit to the head.

President Obama recently signed for the termination of Guantanamo Bay, and ordered for the Central Intelligence Agency to close the prison within a year. According to government officials, President Obama says he will allow the C.I.A officers to continue taking in and transferring terrorism suspects, but they cannot keep them for a long time.

This documentary finally gives voice to those Afghani prisoners of war who are waiting to be heard. Dilawar, an innocent taxi driver is brought in to Bagram on December 5th, 2002. Five days after his arrival he is found dead hanging from handcuffs in his cell. Dilawar was what they called “pulpified:” He was kicked in the legs causing trauma and massive tissue damage. Officers in charge of Bagram sent a death certificate to Dilawar‘s family reporting his death as a homicide.

A week before Dilawar’s death, another detainee died of pulmonary conditions. The man had received beatings before he was captured. He had blood clots in his lungs and tissue damage in his legs and died within a few months of his arrival.

“Bad apples,” soldiers who were sent to protect the prisoners, but were ordered to abuse them instead, were charged with maltreatment, maiming, and homicide. However, high officials were not charged at all and moved onto higher positions.

The photos and the interviews of the soldiers, high officials, the prisoners, and news footage are the most outrageous, intense ingredients necessary to create this masterpiece, but they are overwhelming.

As a journalist and editor of “Taxi to the Dark Side,” Robert Scheer is experienced in putting pieces of information together to fit as a very informative documentary, which allows the viewers to take note of how the Bush Administration violates the Geneva Convention.

In a recent New York Times article, Dennis C. Blair, soon to be director of national intelligence in the Obama administration, quotes in a written statement: “Any program of detention and interrogation must comply with the Geneva Conventions, the Conventions on Torture, and the Constitution. There must be clear standards for humane treatment that apply to all agencies of U.S. Government, including the Intelligence Community.”

Finally the torture will end. President Obama prefers detainees to be prosecuted in federal courts or in the military justice systems, which gives detainees the same rights as American civilians. Detainees will be given lawyers and a chance to release any information about Al-Qaeda.

“Taxi to the Dark Side” is a mind blowing, attention grabbing news feeder that can be disturbing to watch.