John Kirakou, the former CIA officer who exposed the government’s torture program and remains the only person to face jail time for any action surrounding it, is being honored tomorrow night at a local DC restaurant, just two days prior to his sentencing in Alexandria, Virginia on Friday.
The event will honor Kiriakou, who headed CIA operations in Pakistan after 9/11 and organized the team that captured al-Qaeda leader Abu Zubaydah before speaking out against waterboarding, with the unveiling of his portrait by artist Robert Shetterly. Shetterly has produced a series of portraits that feature important truth-tellers and whistleblowers from American history, and his portrait of Kiriakou will be revealed at a reception sponsored by the Government Accountability Project (GAP) tomorrow night. Kiriakou will be also be speaking at the event, which will be followed by the premiere of a new composition based on Kiriakou’s experiences by noted jazz pianist Mary Anne Driscoll.
The event details are as follows:
Wednesday, January 23, 8:30 – 10:30 p.m.
Busboys & Poets
2021 14th Street, NW, Washington D.C.
RSVP at dylanb@whistleblower.org.
We hope to see you there!
“If their efficacy becomes the measure of abhorrent acts, all sorts of unspeakable crimes somehow become acceptable. I may have found myself on the wrong side of the government on torture. But I’m on the right side of history … there are things we should not do, even in the name of national security. One of them, I now firmly believe, is torture.” John Kiriakou
UNREDACTED: The National Security Archive Blog 
2 responses to “John Kiriakou to be Honored Wednesday, January 23, with Portrait Unveiling”
I was tortured for almost 3 years by the FBI and their friends only
because 85 years old man, Roland Sibens(chicago) convinced them that I
am a terrorist. I was tortured for working on my prosthetic legs in
the basement. I done absolutely nothing illegal or wrong. They thought
that in theory it is possible to hide bomb in them. They saw an
opportunity to get famous, so they were trying to torture me till I
sign their insane story. They tortured me using more than 100
different torturing methods and trust to me waterboarding is not how
they torture nowadays. I dont know where to find justice.
I think that after 9/11 things got out of control. Freedom fighters
became tyrants. In 1945, most Germans had an opportunity to learn about Nazis death
camps. I hope that one day American citizens will get chance to learn about people
like me, who were tortured with no reason for years.
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