Stories related to: interrogation

Interrogation Debate Divides Psychologists

New York Times  |  Aug 16, 08 8:30 AM CDT

(Newser) - The use of psychologists to aid government interrogations at places such as Guantanamo Bay has triggered an acrimonious ethical debate as the American Psychological Association considers banning the practice altogether, the New York Times reports. Some say psychologists are used to “break” detainees—in some cases illegally—while others argue that psychologists must be present during questioning to ensure the safety of both the detainee and the interrogator. More »

Video of Gitmo Interrogation Hits Web

CBC (Canada)  |  Jul 15, 08 6:47 AM CDT

(Newser) - A videotape of Canadian officials interrogating a sobbing 16-year-old detainee at Guantanamo Bay surfaced on the Internet today. The clip, made public under a court order obtained by the suspect's lawyer, is the first such footage from the detention center to reach the public, the CBC reports. It shows an intelligence agent grilling Omar Khadr, a Canadian citizen charged with killing a US soldier during a firefight in Afghanistan. Khadr says he was severely tortured in Afghanistan. More »

Gitmo 'Torture' Modeled on Chinese Grilling of US POWs

New York Times  |  Jul 2, 08 3:37 AM CDT

(Newser) - Guantanamo Bay interrogators learned their techniques from Chinese Communists who used them on American POWs in the Korean War, the New York Times reports. A 1957 Air Force chart labeled Communist Coercive Methods for Eliciting Individual Compliance detailed methods like prolonged standing and exposure to cold, and was used as a training aid by military trainers. The chart was copied verbatim for use at Guantanamo. More »

Ex-Detainee Describes Gitmo Tortures

ABC News  |  May 21, 08 12:02 PM CDT

(Newser) - A man arrested in Pakistan and held as an enemy combatant in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay was hung from the ceiling, beaten, and shocked with jolts of electricity, he testified to Congress yesterday. The German-born Turkish citizen told lawmakers that US interrogators also forced water down his throat. He was released without charge after nearly 5 years in custody. More »

CIA's Legal Troubles Grow Over Tapes' Destruction

New York Times  |  Mar 28, 08 9:24 AM CDT

(Newser) - The CIA's decision to destroy interrogation videotapes to save itself legal trouble is backfiring in a big way, the New York Times reports. Lawyers for more than a dozen detainees have filed challenges citing the destruction of evidence, putting terrorism cases on shaky ground and jeopardizing future prosecutions as well, the Times notes.  More »

Qaeda Suspect Held by CIA, Moved to Gitmo

Reuters  |  Mar 15, 08 7:15 AM CDT

(Newser) - A top al-Qaeda suspect who has been in secret CIA detention for at least 6 months was moved this week  to Guantanamo Bay, the Pentagon said yesterday. Muhammad Rahim, described as a "tough, seasoned, jihadist," is said to have been a close associate of Osama bin Laden's who helped the al-Qaeda leader escape from Afghanistan as the Americans hunted him after 9/11, Reuters reports. More »

Senate Grills Mukasey Today on Waterboarding

Associated Press  |  Jan 30, 08 3:43 AM CST

(Newser) - A high-noon face off is looming today between Attorney General Michael Mukasey and the Senate Judiciary Committee over waterboarding, the simulated drowning interrogation technique that many consider torture. Committee chair Patrick Leahy said Mukasey faces "serious questions" on the issue at today's hearing. But Mukasey has warned Leahy in a letter that he will not tell the Senate whether or not waterboarding is illegal. More »

Saddam Faked Nukes to Scare Iran, Not US: Agent

CBS  |  Jan 25, 08 5:18 AM CST

(Newser) - Saddam Hussein revealed in FBI interrogations that he had no nuclear or biological weapons of mass destruction, but hid that fact to avoid invasion by Iran—and was stunned when the US invaded. "For him, it was critical that he was seen as the strong, defiant Saddam to prevent the Iranians from reinvading Iraq," an FBI agent tells "60 Minutes" in an interview to be broadcast Sunday. More »

White House Slams NYT for 'Misleading' CIA Story

CNN  |  Dec 19, 07 3:34 PM CST

(Newser) - The Bush administration refuted a New York Times story today that White House lawyers discussed with the CIA whether or not to destroy detainee interrogation videotapes, CNN reports. "The New York Times ' inference that there is an effort to mislead in this matter is pernicious and troubling," a White House statement reads; its no-comment stance on the story's underlying facts continued. More »

CIA Was Warned Not to Destroy Tapes

New York Times  |  Dec 8, 07 7:56 AM CST

(Newser) - The CIA destroyed interrogation videotapes in 2005 against the advice of the White House, Justice Department, and members of Congress, the New York Times reports. All warned of the potential legal risks of destroying the tapes, which showed the harsh interrogation of two al-Qaeda operatives. The agency's chief of clandestine operations overruled the advice and destroyed them without notifying even the CIA's top lawyer. More »

CIA Sat on Tapes of Al Qaeda Questionings

McClatchy Newspapers  |  Nov 14, 07 10:27 AM CST

(Newser) - Though it twice declared otherwise in court, the CIA has three video and audio recordings of high-level al Qaeda interrogations, federal prosecutors revealed yesterday. The defense team for convicted terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui requested the tapes, but the CIA denied their existence. The tapes probably won’t undo Moussaoui’s conviction—the detainees don’t mention him—but could shed light on CIA interrogation techniques. More »

FBI Probes Terror Cases Muddied by CIA