Angela Merkel, the new German Chancellor talks to Der Spiegel about Guantanamo and terrorism, among other things. Here’s an excerpt:
SPIEGEL: The US government feels it is legitimate to hold prisoners under water until they believe they are drowning. Is this acceptable to you?Merkel: There was a similar debate in Germany over the 2002 kidnapping of Jakob von Metzler, the banker’s son. The issue then was whether it is legitimate to threaten or use torture to save the life of a child. The public debate showed that the overwhelming majority of citizens believed that even in such a case, the end does not justify the means. That is also my position.
SPIEGEL: Do you agree with Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble’s view that in the fight against terrorism, it is necessary to use information that may have been obtained through torture?
Merkel: Not in a criminal proceeding. Information obtained under dubious circumstances cannot play a role in legal proceedings in a constitutional state. But everything that’s available must be taken into account in threat prevention. What do you do when other countries’ intelligence agencies give you information and you aren’t entirely certain about its source? Simply ignore it? That’s impossible. We have a duty to guarantee the safety of our citizens
Read Angela Markel’s interview with Der Spiegel. I wonder if she’ll get into trouble with a certain Texan dude.
– Updated on 13-Jan-2005 —
Interesting follow-up to the link that I posted, again from Der Spiegel (By Carsten Volkery):
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday sets off for her first official visit to Washington. Before leaving Berlin she heavily criticized the United States for the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, but she also appears ready to promise more help in Iraq. What seems contradictory could simply be cunning strategy.
