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Guantanamo Attorneys Say Suicides Reveal Desperation, Hopelessness
at U.S.-Run Prison Camp
Dr. Robert Jay Lifton: American Psychological Association
Should “Prohibit Any Involvement” of Psychologists
in Interrogations
Guantanamo Attorneys Say Suicides Reveal Desperation,
Hopelessness at U.S.-Run Prison Camp
Three detainees at Guantanamo Bay - two Saudis and one Yemeni
- were found dead in their cells this weekend. The military
reported the men hanged themselves with nooses made of sheets
and clothes. They are the first reported deaths at the U.S.-run
camp. The three men had been imprisoned for up to four years
and never charged with a crime. We speak with an attorney
for Guantanamo detainees and former Army Chaplain James Yee.
[includes rush
transcript]
Ali Abdullah Ahmed, Yassar Talal al-Zahrani and Mani Shaman
Turki al-Habardi Al-Utaybi. The three men were found dead
in their cells at the U.S.-run prison camp at Guantanamo Bay
this weekend. According to military officials, the detainees
committed suicide by hanging themselves with nooses made of
sheets and clothing and died before they could be revived
by medical personnel. Two of the men were Saudis, one was
from Yemen. They had been held at the prison for up to four
years and never charged with a crime. One of the men - 21-year-old
al-Zahrani - was first detained when he was a juvenile.
These are the first deaths to have been reported at the prison
though there have been literally dozens of suicide attempts
since the facility opened in 2002. U.S officials suggested
that the suicides were a coordinated protest designed to bring
attention to their cause. The Commander of the detention center
at Guantanamo, Rear Admiral Harry Harris, spoke to reporters
on Saturday via teleconference.
- Rear Admiral Harry Harris, speaking June 10, 2006.
On Sunday, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public
Diplomacy, Colleen Graffy told the BBC on that the suicides
were "a good public relations move" and "a
tactic to further the jihadi cause." She went on to say
that the men did not value their lives nor the lives of those
around them. But these deaths come as criticism of Guantanamo
and the conditions there have increased.
There had been 41 previous suicide attempts as well as a
camp-wide hunger strikes.
Last month, the United Nations Committee Against torture
concluded that Guantanamo should be shut down. And President
Bush himself stated in an interview with German television
in May that he would like to shut down the detention center.
The President repeated this just last Friday even though a
new $30 million prison is currently under construction at
Guantanamo.
- Joshua Denbeaux, a partner in the law firm Denbeaux and
Denbeaux. He represents 2 prisoners being held in Guantanamo
and is the co-author of two reports about Guantanamo detainees.
- James Yee, former Army Chaplain James Yee - he authored
the standard operating procedure for Muslim funeral and
burial rights at Guantanamo Bay. He was posted there in
2002 but less than a year after serving there, he was accused
of espionage by the military and faced charges so severe,
that he was threatened with the death penalty. Yee was locked
away in a Navy prison in Charleston, South Carolina where
he spent 76 days in solitary confinement and was subject
to abusive treatment. In 2004, the government dropped all
charges against him.
Note: We asked a spokesperson from the Pentagon to be on
but they did not respond to our request.
Dr. Robert Jay Lifton: American Psychological Association
Should “Prohibit Any Involvement” of Psychologists
in Interrogations
We speak with leading American psychiatrist Dr. Robert Jay
Lifton about the psychological dimensions of war and occupation
and the role of doctors in interrogation and torture. Lifton
is co-editor of a new book titled "Crimes of War: Iraq."
[includes rush
transcript]
We spend the rest of the hour looking at the psychological
dimensions of war and occupation and the role of doctors in
interrogation and torture with leading American psychiatrist
and professor, Dr. Robert Jay Lifton.
A lecturer in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Lifton
is author of many books including, "Superpower Syndrome"
and "The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology
of Genocide." He is one of the editors of a new book
titled "Crimes of War: Iraq." The book is being
published 35 years after Lifton and the same editorial team
published the landmark book "Crimes of War" about
Vietnam.
- Dr. Robert Jay Lifton, author of many books including
"Crimes of War: Iraq," "Superpower Syndrome"
and "The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology
of Genocide."
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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