Guantánamo Bay
On 8 August, following strong debate by professionals, the American
Psychological Association (APA) voted to reject a proposal to change its policy
to allow members to treat prisoners held at sites “that do not comply with
international human rights laws”, such as Guantánamo Bay. In 2015, the APA
banned members from working at such sites in light of revelations that previous
guidelines had allowed members to assist in “enhanced interrogations”. Breaches
of the policy could lead to a psychologist having their license to practice
revoked for breach of the ethics code.
Following considerable debate and intervention by human rights
NGOs, the APA voted 105 to 57 to maintain its ban on military psychologists
working at facilities like Guantánamo Bay.
Newly
declassified CIA cables from 2002 show current CIA chief Gina Haspel discussing
the torture of Guantánamo prisoner Abd Al-Nashiri when he was held at a secret
CIA prison Haspel was running in Thailand. While Haspel has since been
appointed CIA director following her career as a torturer, Al-Nashiri is facing
the death penalty at Guantánamo based on the “evidence” extracted from him
through torture during the 4 years he “disappeared” into CIA detention after
his 2002 kidnap in UAE and until he reappeared at Guantánamo in 2006. He has
prosecuted both Poland and Lithuania at the European Court of Human Rights for
their complicity in his torture.
Some of the
documents are believed to have been written by Haspel, and mention torture
methods such as waterboarding: “Interrogation escalated rapidly from subject
being aggressively debriefed by interrogators while standing at the walling
wall, to multiple applications of the walling technique, and ultimately,
multiple applications of the watering technique.”
Elsewhere, they describe how he was “stripped naked, repeatedly slammed against walls,
waterboarded and confined in boxes for hours at a covert detention site that
CIA Director Gina Haspel briefly oversaw after 9/11.”
In one case: “CIA psychologists initiated one interrogation session
at 4:15 a.m. by placing Nashiri against the “walling board” and telling him
“they wanted to know who, what, when, where and how ongoing operations would
take place and would stop at nothing to get it.”
When Nashiri repeated information he had already provided instead
of new information about threats, the psychologists threw him to the floor and
a “security team” ripped off his clothes and shaved his head while he “moaned
and wailed.” They then locked him in a box.”
The military tribunal of Abd Al-Nashiri has been indefinitely suspended by the judge since February this year. With current judge Vince Spath retiring later this year, the case, when it resumes, will be taken over by Air Force Colonel Shelly W. Schools. “Spath drew national attention in November for summarily convicting the chief defense lawyer, Marine Brig. Gen. John Baker, of contempt of court — and then ordering him to serve 21 days confinement in his trailer behind Guantánamo’s war court. Spath then quietly put in for retirement soon after a federal judge overturned Baker’s conviction.”
It is unknown when Judge Schools
will head the tribunal for the first time as a number of issues put by Spath
are currently being considered by the US Court of Military Commission Review.
Judge Army Col. James Pohl has ruled to prevent the prosecution
from using statements given to FBI interrogators in the case of five men
accused of involvement in attacks in 2001 in New York. The defence has long
argued that this evidence is tainted by the torture these men previously
suffered in secret CIA prisons around the world and which provided the basis for
these interrogations. The statements were made in 2006 after they were
transferred from CIA custody. The evidence they contain provide some of the
strongest evidence in the conspiracy case against the men, according to the
prosecution.
The ruling, which could see the trial in this case being expedited,
is a major setback for the prosecution and the US administration. The
prosecution has asked the judge to reconsider this ruling.
In addition, on
27 August, Judge Pohl announced his retirement as of 30 September and has
assigned a Marine colonel, Keith A. Parrella, to replace him.
The next pre-trial hearing in the
case is scheduled for 10-14 September.
Four Uighur
refugees granted asylum in Bermuda in 2009 after having been transferred there
from Guantánamo Bay have been naturalised and granted citizenship. Although
this does not grant them “Bermudan status”, they will be able to apply for
passports and thus leave the island. One of the men has a sick son, who is also
currently stateless, and they were unable to travel for his treatment abroad. The
men will be recognised as “British Overseas Territory Citizens” following a
decision by the British government. The men could not leave the island without
passports and risk being sent to internment camps set up by the Chinese
government for the Uighur minority if sent there.
Ahmed Ahjam, one of six men, all refugees, resettled in Uruguay in
2014, has opened up his own stall selling Syrian sweets and pastries in
Montevideo’s historic Mercado Agricola. With some help from a local development
agency, he set up a stall selling sweets from his native Syria, using recipes
from his sisters. He had previously made and sold these sweets at events and
stalls at various functions. He is the only one of the six – 4 Syrians, one
Tunisian and one Palestinian – who is in work in the country. The men receive a
small stipend from the government and have their rent paid but are otherwise
struggling to adapt to life after Guantánamo and in Uruguay.
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/ex-gitmo-detainee-now-selling-sweets-in-uruguay-capital-2/
Rendition
The Lithuanian government initially stated that it would not appeal
the European Court of Human Rights ruling made in May finding it complicit in
hosting and facilitating the CIA’s extraordinary rendition programme through
the provision of detention sites where suspects were tortured in its territory.
The case was brought by Guantánamo prisoner Abu Zubaydah, who has also
successfully sued Poland at the court. Lithuania was ordered to pay him €130,000
in damages. The Justice Ministry claimed there were no legal grounds for
appeal.
However, days before the 31st August deadline to lodge
an appeal the government changed its mind and the prime minister has announced
that it will appeal. The Lithuanian authorities maintain that there has been no
wrongdoing on their part.
LGC Activities:
The LGC held its monthly Shut Guantánamo! demos outside the US Embassy
in Nine Elms on 2 August at 12-2pm. Our next monthly demo for September is on
Thursday 6 September at 12-2pm: https://www.facebook.com/events/474337159719373/
All are welcome to join us.
Ahead of the US midterm elections on 6 November, the LGC is asking
people to help us boost numbers at our regular monthly demos to remind the US
authorities that Guantánamo is still an issue, one that needs a political
solution: https://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.com/2018/08/time-to-put-guantanamo-back-on-agenda.html
