Will Potter: The secret US prisons you've never heard of before
Will Potter: Tajná vězení v USA, o kterých jste nikdy neslyšeli
Award-winning journalist and author, Will Potter focuses on the animal rights and environmental movements, and civil liberties in the post-9/11 era. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
that "writing about prisoners
"psát o vězních
we treat prisoners as ghosts.
zacházíme s vězni jako s duchy.
goes to great lengths to keep them hidden.
vše pro to, aby je skryla.
when no one is watching,
se nikdo nedívá,
that we need to tell.
potřebujeme vyprávět.
prison units in the United States,
vězeňských jednotkách ve Spojených státech
Communications Management Units or CMUs.
komunikačního řízení neboli JKŘ.
"Little Guantanamo."
"Malé Guantanamo."
right here, at home,
přímo tady, doma,
in Terre Haute, Indiana,
Terre Haute, v Indianě.
in Marion, Illinois.
Marionu, v Illinois.
the formal review process
formálním schvalovacím procesem,
when they were opened.
been convicted of crimes.
z trestných činů.
and some involve threats and violence.
a některé zahrnují výhrůžky a násilí.
or innocence of any prisoner.
či nevinu jakéhokoli vězně.
Thurgood Marshall said,
Marshall z Nejvyššího soudu:
their human quality."
has said there are three flecks of light
mi řekl, že jsou tři světlé body
but they radically restrict all of these
kontakty omezují,
extreme prisons in the United States.
přesahuje ty nejextrémnější vězení v USA.
to 45 minutes a month,
45 minut za měsíc,
other prisoners receive.
vězňů.
to six pieces of paper.
na 6 listů papíru.
to four hours per month,
jen na 4 hodiny za měsíc,
like Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph
lidé jako Eric Rudolph,
which means prisoners are not allowed
což znamená, že vězni ani nesmí
except psychologically."
who is imprisoned here.
open records requests
žádosti o otevřené záznamy
and former prisoners,
a minulými vězni
into the CMUs have opened.
60 to 70 prisoners here,
on Iraq by sending medical supplies
Irák, když poslal pro tamní děti
from Saddam Hussein's Iraq as refugees.
Sadama Husseina jako uprchlík.
as part of an FBI sting.
zátahu FBI.
to bear witness to a loan,
dosvědčil půjčku,
involved in the loan was trying to enlist
účastnili té půjčky se snažil
falešného útoku.
to a terrorist group.
teroristickou organizaci.
some non-Muslim prisoners.
nemuslimské vězně.
the racial numbers,
and environmental activists
zvířecí a environmentální práva,
of participating in two arsons
na dvou požárech
that he would be sent
bude poslán
weren't supported by any facts.
hasn't fully explained
nevysvětlila,
for these decisions.
zodpovědný.
bylo mu řečeno,
terorista",
talking about environmental activists.
mluví o environmentálních aktivistech.
prisoners in US prisons
je okolo 400 vězňů,
are in the CMUs.
at a low-security prison
vězení s nízkou ostrahou
for an answer, a hearing,
odpovědi, stání
shows how those requests are viewed.
jak je na takové požadavky nahlíženo,
recommended McGowan's transfer
doporučil přeložení McGowana
Counterterrorism Unit,
protiteroristické jednotky,
Task Force of the FBI.
operační skupinou FBI.
was really sent to a CMU
opravdu poslán do JKŘ,
cited McGowan's "anti-government beliefs."
citovala McGowanovy "protivládní postoje."
about environmental issues,
problematice životního prostředí,
reflect on their mistakes
o svých chybách
any time at all in Washington, DC,
ve Washigtonu D.C.,
concept for the government.
radikální koncept.
McGowan in the CMU.
v JKŘ.
on this stage before,
jsem na tomto pódiu zmiňoval,
monitoring my work.
mé práce FBI.
and only journalist to visit a CMU.
novinářem, který navštívil JKŘ.
Counterterrorism Unit,
jednotky,
about CMUs, like this one.
je tato.
be approved to visit?
návštěva schválena?
out to the prison, I got an answer.
do té věznice, jsem dostal odpověď.
as a friend, not a journalist.
jako příteli, ne jako novináři.
that if I asked any questions
pokud se budu na něco ptát
for my reporting.
the guards reminded me
dozorci mě upozornili,
and knew about my work.
to interview McGowan,
vyslechnutí McGowana,
as "self-contained housing units."
"samostatné jednotky bydlení."
of describing black holes.
způsob popsání černých děr.
checkpoints that you would expect.
které byste očekávali.
to the visitation room is silent.
je němá.
the rest of the prison is on lockdown.
je zbytek věznice uzamčen.
could touch each wall.
pažemi dotknout všech zdí.
orb in the ceiling
velikosti grapefruitu,
by the Counterterrorism Unit
Protiteroristickou skupinou
have to be in English for CMU prisoners,
byly v angličtině,
for many of the Muslim families.
mnoho muslimských rodin.
bulletproof glass
neprůstřelného skla
attached to the wall
na zdi.
k zasmání.
while in the CMU,
a zabavil se,
that I was secretly the president
prezident
ve Washingtonu, D. C.
now thinks that Bella and Edward
myslela, že Bella a Edward
and at length about his niece Lily,
nejvíce a dlouho o své neteři Lily,
it feels to never be able to hug them,
že je nemůže nikdy obejmout,
was transferred out of the CMU
přesunut z JKŘ
he was sent back again.
zpátky.
CMU documents on my website
dokumenty JKŘ
that McGowan had called his wife
McGowan zavolal své ženě
was saying about him,
at the end of his sentence,
for the Huffington Post headlined,
s titulkem:
a CMU for my Political Speech."
poslán do JKŘ za svůj politický projev."
back in jail for his political speech.
svůj politický projev.
jeho propuštění,
by the Bush administration,
správou,
how and why CMUs were created.
vytvořeny.
with "inspirational significance."
významností."
these are political prisons
říct, že se jedná o politická vězení
because of their race,
své rase,
political beliefs.
politickým názorům.
characterization is too strong,
popis příliš silný,
of the government's own documents.
by the CMU, the sender was told
pošty, bylo odesílateli sděleno,
"for political prisoners."
"pro politické vězně."
activist Andy Stepanian,
aktivista za zvířecí práva Andy Stepanian,
anti-government and anti-corporate views.
proti korporátním názorům.
may be hard to believe,
and in the United States.
ve Spojených státech.
is that the US has a dark history
má temnou historii
because of their political beliefs.
jejich politickým názorům.
was home to the CMU,
Marion sídlem JKŘ,
in solitary for 22 hours a day.
was to "control revolutionary attitudes."
"kontrole revolučních postojů."
the Lexington High Security Unit
Lexingtonská jednotka vysokého zabezpečení
to the Weather Underground,
nezávislost Weather Underground,
independent struggles.
communication and used sleep deprivation,
a používala spánkovou deprivaci
"ideological conversion."
"ideologickou konverzi."
but only through the campaigning
ale jen díky kampaním
advocates, like Amnesty International.
lidských práv jako Amnesty International.
with the Center for Constitutional Rights
pro konstituční práva
of their due process rights
procesních práv
and religious speech.
never come to light without this lawsuit.
najevo bez této žaloby.
and my message for you today
poselství pro vás je,
to what is being done to these prisoners.
co se děje těmto vězňům.
of the values held beyond prison walls.
zastávaných i mimo zdi vězení.
to human rights.
repeating the mistakes of our past.
opakovat chyby z minulosti.
described as the stories of the dead,
Berrigan popsal jako příběhy mrtvých,
the stories of ourselves.
I learned about the Bill of Rights,
o Listině základních práv a svobod,
about 25 other laws and rights
zákonech a právech,
the number one question I get
jedna, kterou dostávám
that people don't know.
to nevědí.
of situations, any rights abuses,
jakéhokoli porušování práv,
that it's actually happening
to actually make a change.
what's happening at all
disenfranchised populations
volebního práva,
not native English speakers.
nejsou anglicky mluvící.
representation that I mentioned,
reprezentaci, kterou jsem zmínil,
of what's happening.
co se děje.
that you have right to council
právo na poradenství
convicted of a crime,
ze zločinu,
was bogus or legitimate,
falešně nebo oprávněně,
after that is warranted.
zasloužené.
and dangerous narrative that we have,
a nebezpečný příběh,
of things to happen,
kind of turns a blind eye to it.
were all real documents, word for word,
byly opravdové dokumenty, slovo od slova,
all of them to my website.
na svůj web.
a footnoted version of the talk,
opoznámkovaná verze přednášky,
without the little snippets.
malých útržků.
on primary source documents
na primární zdroje dokumentů
with former and current prisoners,
bývalými a současnými vězni,
with this situation every day.
setkávají každý den.
there myself, as well.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Will Potter - Investigative journalistAward-winning journalist and author, Will Potter focuses on the animal rights and environmental movements, and civil liberties in the post-9/11 era.
Why you should listen
Independent journalist and TED Fellow Will Potter is based in Washington, D.C.; his current work examines how whistleblowers and non-violent protesters are being treated as terrorists.
The author of Green Is The New Red: An Insider's Account of a Social Movement Under Siege, Potter has extensively documented how non-violent protest is slowly being criminalized. His reporting and commentary have been featured in the world's top media outlets, including the Washington Post, NPR, Rolling Stone, El Pais, and Le Monde. He has testified before the U.S. Congress about his reporting, as the only witness opposing the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act -- and he is a plaintiff in the first lawsuits challenging so-called "ag-gag" laws as unconstitutional.
Will has also lectured at many universities and public forums about his work, including Georgetown University, Harvard Law School, and the House of Democracy and Human Rights in Berlin. International speaking tours have included Germany, Austria, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Spain, and he was the international guest lecturer for Australia's 2014 animal law lecture series.
His reporting has overturned criminal prosecutions, and it has both been praised in Congressional reports and monitored by the Counter-Terrorism Unit.
Will Potter | Speaker | TED.com