Ex-CIA Employee Guilty in Assault of Afghan

Gema K. Gonzalez
Current Event Log #1
08-17-06

According to an article titled ?Ex-C.I.A. Employee Guilty in Assault of Afghan,? by The New York Times, a North Carolina court tried and convicted David A. Passaro of beating and abusing an Afghan man. Further on, the article points out that Human Rights Watch and other human rights advocate were paying close attention at the charges being brought. This has been one of many critics that the Justice Department has been under since the ?War on Terror? and the establishment of Democracy in the Middle East. According to the article, Mr. Passaro hit and abused Abdul Wali, a local farmer, until he went unconscious. Naturally, Mr. Passaro?s lawyers tried to defend him, but in the end this has been the only case where an official has been convicted from the prisoner abuse allegations.
This article has significance in terms of human rights and prisoner rights. This has been a hot topic lately, especially with the allegations and debate of Guantanamo Bay. Of course, more investigation is needed and it seems like the whole story is never fully printed or censored. It is also interesting to point out that considering all the prisoner abuse allegations going on in the Middle East and CIA leaks that have been out, only one case has been resolved. Human Rights advocates are all over the troops and officials in Washington for what is or is not happening in prison camps, but it seems to always be released piece by piece.

Source: "Ex-CIA Employee Guilty in Assault of Afghan." The New York Times. 2006/08/17.
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