Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)

It is quite an amazing movie. UT Amnesty International had screened it last year as part of our Human Rights Film Festival, but I was unable to attend because I had an exam the following day. Fortunately, I finally remembered to watch it over break and was extremely impressed by it.

Taxi to the Dark Side begins by investigating the death of Dilawar, an innocent Afghan taxi driver who passed away while being held in custody of American forces. After being falsely accused of launching a rocket attack, Dilawar was captured by Afghan bounty hunters, turned over to the Americans, and detained at Baghram Air Force Base. During his imprisonment, Dilawar endured inhumane treatment, including regular beatings and being chained to the ceiling for days at a time. After autopsies discovered irregularities with blood flow in Dilawar's legs, his death was ruled a homicide.

Unfortunately, Dilawar was not the only innocent prisoner to die in American custody. Throughout the film, director Alex Gibney uses Dilawar's tragic and unnecessary death as a stepping stone for further investigations of American human rights violations under the Bush Administration, revealing several disturbing facts regarding the treatment of prisoners and conditions at American detention facilities, including Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib. Equally disturbing was the lack of concern for the detainees shown by senior Bush Administration officials, such as Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzales, and John Yoo. Viewing the detainees merely as evildoers and sources of information, these officials essentially stripped the detainees of their humanity through poor treatment and humiliation.

I strongly feel that the treatment of prisoners under the Bush Administration was a darker part of America's history. Although President Obama has taken several steps to improve conditions for prisoners, most notably signing an executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, there is still work to be done. Americans must remember to always hold their government accountable for illegal human rights violations. In "Taxi to the Dark Side," Gibney mentioned that, even after the photos of the treatment of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison were leaked, over a third of Americans felt that using torture was acceptable in some situations, which is quite problematic. We should learn from our past mistakes to ensure that they do not repeat themselves.

I have a copy of the movie if any of you would like to watch it. Actually, only one person reads this and I'm definitely making him watch it sometime. :)