Army judge: Torture couldn't possibly have caused accused 9/11 conspirator's psychological distress
A US Army judge has ruled that defense attorneys for Ramzi bin al Shibh, a Yemeni man accused of having co-conspired the 9/11 attacks, may not learn what "interrogation techniques" CIA agents used on him before he was moved to Guantánamo.
We already know that techniques used on other detainees -- including Khalid Sheikh Mohamed, who is also a defendant in this trial -- included waterboarding, sleep deprivation and extreme sexual humiliation....Bin al Shibh, 37, is one of five men charged in a complex death penalty prosecution by military commission currently under review by the Obama administration. He allegedly helped organize the Hamburg, Germany, cell of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers before the suicide mission that killed 2,974 people in New York, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania. But his lawyers say he suffers a ``delusional disorder,'' and hallucinations in his cell at Guantánamo may leave him neither sane enough to act as his own attorney nor to stand trial. Prison camp doctors treat him with psychotropic drugs. (...) [T]he judge ruled on Aug. 6 that ``evidence of specific techniques employed by various governmental agencies to interrogate the accused is . . . not essential to a fair resolution of the incompetence determination hearing in this case.''
But Navy Cmdr. Suzanne Lachelier, the Yemeni's Pentagon appointed defense attorney, said court-approved mental health experts -- as well as the judge -- need to know the specifics to assess her client's mental illness. If he suffers a long-standing psychosis, she said, he may never be made competent for trial. But if he suffers post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his CIA interrogations, there may be PTSD treatments that could make him competent.Judge: CIA interrogations not relevant to 9/11 accused's sanity (Miami Herald)
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Pull the other one, it's got bells on it.
they really shouldn't call them "judges" - perhaps "goons"?
I wouldn't argue the fact that someone who acts on God's orders to kill thousands is delusional.
I just wish more of them would be punished.
[speechless]
Ths twl hds cn rt. Wht th hll ds nybdy cr bt mrdrrs? nd y stll hv S lywrs hlpng thm nd trshng ths cntry. Gv m stnk-n brk. Fr wht thy mr thn lkly dd, bcs thy wr cght, sc th dgs t.
neonguy - nice troll
@5: Congratulations. Your command of logic is on par with your grammar and spelling skills.
-- MrJM
I fixed the spelling part. The command of logic is beyond me.
Nice to see you still trying to win their hearts and minds.
Replace 'judge' with 'shill' and it makes perfect sense.
Kinda like the 9-11 Omission saying: "Nothing to see here folks, please move along. No we can't save any of the bits for further analysis later. We need every piece of the buildings for... recycling... Yes that's it. This administration is committed to being environmentally conscious..."
Should a trained psychiatrist be able to differentiate between a psychosis and PTSD? It shouldn't be strictly necessary to know whether he was electrocuted, drowned or beaten; we know at least some of that occurred. Either it caused his PTSD or is at best (worst) an aggravating factor to his pre-existing mental state, right? The individual details of his torture seem less significant than the inescapable fact that it happened.
But...WHY keep it a secret? What is the up side for the government in hiding this information? We know our government mistreated our prisoners; what do they have to gain from keeping the details secret?
Hungry Joe: You might as well ask why the photos of such abuses have been squashed from release under the FIA...
Phikus: I did ask. No answer yet, but I'm sure they'll get back to me soon...
"..what do they have to gain from keeping the details secret?"
You have been around for the "is waterboarding torture?" thing, right? Now try that with electrocution and physical abuse..