EPISODE · Dec 21, 2025 · 19 MIN
11. Torture at Guantánamo Bay - When Accountability Gives Way to Impunity
from Amicae Curiae · host Amicae Curiae
Grab your coffee and join us in discussing one of the darkest chapters of the “Global War on Terror.” In this episode, we tell the story of two French men detained, tortured, and abused at Guantánamo Bay, and the long legal battle that followed against the architects of an entire system.From “enhanced interrogation techniques” to indefinite detention without charge, we unpack how torture was normalized, justified, and legally dressed up after 9/11, and why international law draws a very clear line: torture is always prohibited. No exceptions. No emergencies. No excuses.Along the way, we break down the absolute ban on torture, the limits of human rights derogations in the name of counterterrorism, and one of the most controversial issues in international law today: can State officials be prosecuted abroad for international crimes, or are they shielded by immunity?This episode takes us from Guantánamo to French courts, and all the way to the European Court of Human Rights, where judges were forced to confront the question: What happens when accountability turns into State immunity? And who pays the price when justice stops at the border?For any question or correction (because yes, we may make mistakes), contact us at: [email protected].
What this episode covers
Grab your coffee and join us in discussing one of the darkest chapters of the “Global War on Terror.” In this episode, we tell the story of two French men detained, tortured, and abused at Guantánamo Bay, and the long legal battle that followed against the architects of an entire system.From “enhanced interrogation techniques” to indefinite detention without charge, we unpack how torture was normalized, justified, and legally dressed up after 9/11, and why international law draws a very clear line: torture is always prohibited. No exceptions. No emergencies. No excuses.Along the way, we break down the absolute ban on torture, the limits of human rights derogations in the name of counterterrorism, and one of the most controversial issues in international law today: can State officials be prosecuted abroad for international crimes, or are they shielded by immunity?This episode takes us from Guantánamo to French courts, and all the way to the European Court of Human Rights, where judges were forced to confront the question: What happens when accountability turns into State immunity? And who pays the price when justice stops at the border?For any question or correction (because yes, we may make mistakes), contact us at: [email protected].
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11. Torture at Guantánamo Bay - When Accountability Gives Way to Impunity
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