Why Democracy?

Last night, I watched the documentary "Taxi to the Dark Side". It's one of the most disturbing things I've seen :(

About the film:
Over one hundred prisoners have died in suspicious circumstances in U.S. custody during the "war on terror". Taxi to the Dark Side takes an in-depth look at one case: an Afghan taxi driver called Dilawar who was considered an honest and kind man by the people of his rustic village. So when he was detained by the U.S military one afternoon, after picking up three passengers, denizens wondered why this man was randomly chosen to be held in prison, and, especially, without trial? Five days after his arrest Dilawar died in his Bagram prison cell. His death came within a week of another death of a detainee at Bagram. The conclusion, with autopsy evidence, was that the former taxi driver and the detainee who passed away before him, had died due to sustained injuries inflicted at the prison by U.S. soldiers. The documentary, by award-winning producer Alex Gibney, carefully develops the last weeks of Dilawar’s life and shows how decisions taken at the pinnacle of power in the Bush Administration led directly to Dilawar’s brutal death. The film documents how Rumsfeld, together with the White House legal team, were able to convince Congress to approve the use of torture against prisoners of war. Taxi to the Dark Side is the definitive exploration of the introduction of torture as an interrogation technique in U.S. facilities, and the role played by key figures of the Bush Administration in the process.

The film is one out 10 one-hour films focused on contemporary democracy. The 10 films are broadcasting in October 2007 across all continents, with an estimated audience of 300 million viewers.

In Australia, SBS is the broadcaster for the series. The series kicked off on Oct 7. Several films have already been shown but there are still 5 more to catch:

23-10-2007

20:30 - Egypt: We Are Watching You

22:00 - Dinner with the President

23:00 - In Search of Gandhi

30-10-2007

20:30 - Bloody Cartoons

22:00 - For God, Tsar and the Fatherland

More info can be found on the Why Democracy website: whydemocracy.net

To quote the review in Financial Times: The series is able to transform us "from couch potatoes to sofa philosophers"...
Happy viewing ~