Why The Whistleblower on the U.S. Torture Program, John Kiriakou, Deserves a Presidential Pardon
Why John Kiriakou Deserves a Presidential Pardon
John Kiriakou, the former CIA officer jailed for exposing the U.S. government’s use of torture, is one of the most high-profile whistleblowers of the modern era. Yet he remains the only official to be prosecuted in connection with the Bush administration’s torture program This injustice calls for a presidential pardon to right the wrongs done to Kiriakou.
Punished for Doing the Right Thing
In 2007, Kiriakou gave an interview confirming the CIA’s use of waterboarding and other “enhanced interrogation techniques” on detainees. He did not actually leak classified documents, but merely acknowledged publicly what many already suspected — that the U.S. had employed torture tactics after 9/11.
For this act of whistleblowing in the public interest, Kiriakou was charged under the Espionage Act and ultimately sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2013. His defenders argue this was an excessive punishment, as he should have been lauded rather than prosecuted for exposing the government’s unethical and illegal torture program.
A Flawed Pardon Process
The case highlights major flaws in the official process for seeking pardons. Despite over 3,000 applications during the Obama administration, only 212 were granted — an abysmally low 6.2% approval rate. The pardon attorney’s office, housed under the Justice Department, faces inherent conflicts of interest in evaluating cases.
With formal channels so restrictive, whistleblowers like Kiriakou understandably pursue informal routes and connections, even resorting to paying large sums as Kiriakou was reportedly asked. A fair and independent pardon process would eliminate such pay-to-play dynamics.
The United States government’s use of torture and unethical interrogation techniques is a dark stain on the nation’s moral fabric and a betrayal of its founding principles.
The systematic employment of such abhorrent practices, particularly in the post-9/11 era, represents a profound descent into the abyss of inhumanity and a repudiation of the very values America claims to uphold.
The torture program, euphemistically termed “enhanced interrogation techniques,” was a meticulously designed and implemented system of brutality, sanctioned at the highest levels of government. It involved a litany of sadistic methods, including waterboarding, stress positions, sleep deprivation, and physical assaults, all aimed at breaking the will and psyche of detainees.
The Moral Bankruptcy of Torture
The use of torture is not only a violation of international laws and treaties but also a profound moral transgression.
It strips individuals of their inherent dignity and reduces them to mere objects of state-sanctioned cruelty. The United States, a nation that prides itself on being a beacon of human rights and justice, has tarnished its reputation by embracing the very tactics it once condemned in its adversaries.
The torture program was not an aberration or a momentary lapse in judgment; it was a calculated and systematic policy, driven by a misguided belief in the efficacy of coercion and a disregard for the fundamental rights of detainees. The architects of this program sought to redefine the boundaries of acceptable conduct, twisting legal interpretations to justify the unjustifiable.
The Corrosive Effects of Torture
The consequences of the torture program extend far beyond the immediate suffering inflicted upon detainees. It has eroded the moral authority of the United States, undermining its ability to credibly advocate for human rights and the rule of law on the global stage. The revelations of torture have provided ammunition to America’s adversaries, who now wield these transgressions as a potent propaganda tool, casting doubt on the nation’s commitment to its professed ideals.
Moreover, the torture program has had a corrosive effect on the nation’s democratic institutions and the principles of accountability.
The obfuscation, denial, and lack of meaningful consequences for those responsible have fostered a culture of impunity, emboldening future administrations to engage in similar abuses under the guise of national security.
A Patriot Unjustly Punished
At its core, Kiriakou’s case represents the injustice of punishing a patriot who sacrificed his career to expose government wrongdoing in the name of human rights and democratic accountability. As the pardon petition states, he should have been “rewarded for his courage and moral rectitude,” not made an example of.
A presidential pardon would be a small step towards making amends to Kiriakou and other whistleblowers who have risked everything for the public good. It would signal a commitment to ethics over blind obedience. For the sake of justice and human rights, John Kiriakou deserves this official act of clemency and redemption.