Complains of Terrorists

Danner, professor of journalism in the University of California in Berkeley and specialist in international relations, supported the publication of the text of the report on the site of “The New York Review of Books” with 2 of his articles, which are going to be published in the April issue of the magazine. In the full report, observers noted the data about the involvement of physicians in the torture. The medical staff in service of the CIA, according to the “especially valuable prisoners”, knew about the harsh methods used during interrogations, and even attended some of the procedures, like waterboarding. And then the main concern of the physicians wasn’t to preserve the life and health of the interrogated prisoners, but interests of the investigation. The interrogators got recommendations from the doctors: what methods should be continued to use, how to enhance the effectiveness of some, and which should be stopped because of ineffectiveness. ICRC gave a verdict: “flagrant violation of medical ethics”.

After the publication of the report, a representative of the Red Cross confirmed its authenticity, but once again showed deplore that the secret document became known to the public. Once again, the CIA didn’t comment the data of ICRC, but the representative of CIA Mark Mansfield stated that the new management ended the questionable methods of interrogation: “Director Panetta took decisive steps so the CIA abides by the president’s executive orders. President Obama had prohibited all government interrogators from using techniques apart from the noncoercive methods in the Army Field Manual”. Indeed, after the inauguration, Barack Obama ordered to close the foreign prisons of CIA and the Guantanamo camp, and renounced Bush’s methods of “war against terrorism”.

Mansfield emphasized that Leon Panetta repeatedly promised not to start investigations concerning the employees that “acted under the directives of the Ministry of Justice”. The same was stated earlier by Obama, who probably understands that punishing the intelligence officers and investigators for the realization of the Bush course is not the best idea: or they will simply be scared of carrying out their duties and orders. Meanwhile, human rights defenders and political opponents of the previous administration are doing everything possible to scandalize the “war against terror”, and the 2-year old report came in handy. And most likely, that won’t be the last report of that kind, because the prisoners of Guantanamo are eager to share their experienced sufferings to the public.