US judge throws out torture lawsuit against Rumsfeld

A federal judge says despite horrifying torture of US prisoners alleged to have been committed in overseas prisons during former Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s tenure, his position in the government shielded him from being sued.

US District Judge Thomas Hogan threw out a Washington lawsuit brought on behalf of nine former prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan and said Rumsfeld cannot be held personally responsible for actions taken in connection with his government job.

The lawsuit contends the prisoners were beaten, suspended upside down from the ceiling by chains, urinated on, shocked, sexually humiliated, burned, locked inside boxes and subjected to mock executions.

Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights First had argued that Rumsfeld and top military officials disregarded warnings about the abuse and authorised the use of illegal interrogation tactics that violated the constitutional and human rights of prisoners.