Guantanamo Bay
Mohammed Al Qahtani has not been charged of any crime, but is apparently being held indefinitely. That is, by any standard, an extraordinary and deplorable situation. In January 2009, a senior official appointed by President Bush's Administration confirmed that charges against him were dropped because he had been tortured.
Mr. al Qahtani's lawyers have been able to review some of the tapes that show aspects of his treatment. Yet President Obama's administration continues to resist all efforts to disclose them to the public, despite a professed commitment to transparency and open government.
On 06 Dec 02, the subject of the first Special Interrogation Plan was forced to wear a woman's bra and had a thong placed on his head during the course of the interrogation.
On 17 Dec 02, the subject of the first Special Interrogation Plan was told that his mother and sister were whores.
On 20 Dec 02, an interrogator tied a leash to the subject of the first Special Interrogation Plan's chains, led him around the room, and forced him to perform a series of dog tricks.
On one occasion in Dec 02, the subject of the first Special Interrogation Plan was forced to stand naked for five minutes with females present. This incident occurred during the course of a strip search.
For 48 days, Mr. al Qahtani was subjected to intense sleep deprivation, allowed to sleep for no more than four hours a day. When he did manage to sleep, he was often awoken with water being poured repeatedly on his head. He was subjected to forced nudity and sexual and religious humiliation. He was compared to a pig and rat. Dogs were used to induce fear in him.
This mistreatment left Mr. al Qahtani physically and psychologically broken. In November 2002 -- before he had even been subjected to the worst forms of torture -- an FBI agent reported that a prisoner later identified as Mr. al Qahtani was "talking to non-existent people, reporting hearing voices, [and] crouching in a corner of the cell covered
Mr. al Qahtani's lawyers have been able to review some of the tapes that show aspects of his treatment. Yet President Obama's administration continues to resist all efforts to disclose them to the public, despite a professed commitment to transparency and open government.
On 06 Dec 02, the subject of the first Special Interrogation Plan was forced to wear a woman's bra and had a thong placed on his head during the course of the interrogation.
On 17 Dec 02, the subject of the first Special Interrogation Plan was told that his mother and sister were whores.
On 20 Dec 02, an interrogator tied a leash to the subject of the first Special Interrogation Plan's chains, led him around the room, and forced him to perform a series of dog tricks.
On one occasion in Dec 02, the subject of the first Special Interrogation Plan was forced to stand naked for five minutes with females present. This incident occurred during the course of a strip search.
For 48 days, Mr. al Qahtani was subjected to intense sleep deprivation, allowed to sleep for no more than four hours a day. When he did manage to sleep, he was often awoken with water being poured repeatedly on his head. He was subjected to forced nudity and sexual and religious humiliation. He was compared to a pig and rat. Dogs were used to induce fear in him.
This mistreatment left Mr. al Qahtani physically and psychologically broken. In November 2002 -- before he had even been subjected to the worst forms of torture -- an FBI agent reported that a prisoner later identified as Mr. al Qahtani was "talking to non-existent people, reporting hearing voices, [and] crouching in a corner of the cell covered