“Plaintiffs have alleged sufficient facts to show that Secretary Rumsfeld personally established the relevant policies that caused the alleged violations of their constitutional rights during detention.”-Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals

August 8, a Federal appeals court ruled that former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, is not immune from being sued for torture.

Interestingly, the two people suing Rumsfeld are U.S. citizens, and former security agents as well.

The two former private security agents, were detained and tortured, in Iraq by U.S. personnel, with sleep deprivation, and deprived of food and water.  They claim they were detained because they were trying to blow the whistle on the illegal activities of their employer.

The two agents suspected their employer of making improper payments to Iraqi officials, and that fellow employees were engaged in weapons-trafficking.  After providing U.S. officials with information they were suddenly detained.  The two agents were never charged with anything.

In another case, last week a Federal court in Washington DC ruled that Rumsfeld can indeed be sued for torture.

In that case a U.S. military contractor was also tortured by U.S. personnel in Iraq.  Government officials say the contractor was passing information to the enemy, but, for some reason, after torturing him, the government decided not file charges and let him go.

Don’t think President Barack Obama influenced the courts’ decision.  Obama supports Rumsfeld, saying, effectively, that U.S. citizens have no rights when they’re in a combat zone. The U.S. Justice Department is planning to appeal the latest Federal court decisions.