Doctors and psychologists involved in torture

Doctors and psychologists participated in torture at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib

04/11/2013

There were many reports of torture practices in the Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib war prisons, which revealed the suffering suffered by the prisoners under the guise of „counterterrorism“ was done. For this reason, in 2010 the Institute for Medicine as a Profession and the Open Society Institute had already set up a commission to investigate the issue of the involvement of medical professionals in interrogation, the torture or force-feeding of prisoners. The findings have brought to light a tremendous amount of inhumane practices and made recommendations to secure medical ethics.

Already in 2012, the results had been completed. According to Jeffrey Kaye, a member of the commission, but was for election tactical Greens waived a publication, because this would certainly Barack Obama in any good light. A legal review of the arbitrary detention was targeted, preventing detention and torture. At that time, only a short excerpt was published about the involvement of medical professionals in torture and interrogation, as demonstrated in other studies „alarming injury“ convicted of medical ethics.

Pentagon and CIA fomented torture practices
Research has shown that the Pentagon and the CIA have deliberately urged doctors and psychologists to violate ethical principles and medical standards in prison camps, such as the Hippocratic Oath, and harm people. The doctors helped to develop torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners. It should be emphasized the participation in interrogation and counseling, how to increase the disorientation and fear among the prisoners, the support of the interrogation by drugs and the force-feeding of hunger strikers.

So were „doctors“ when „security staff“ led to disguise their actual tasks. In addition, prisoners were force-fed, contrary to the World Medical Association's ban and the American Medical Association. Medical knowledge should be used for the interrogation and mistreatment of prisoners, contrary to international rules, should not be reported. More than 350 so-called self-injuries were not investigated for their reasons between 2002 and 2003, but were tacitly accepted.

Doctors and psychologists are complicit
Those who think that these inhumane practices are a thing of the past have been wrong. Although the Pentagon has set up a committee to investigate the medical ethical issues at Guantanamo, nothing has changed in the changing practices of psychologists and physicians and the lack of ethical standards. Who but only with a finger on the „angry“ Government shows, but then it makes it too easy. After all, the doctors and psychologists who support or tolerate such practices are equally at fault. The doctors at the CIA's Office of Medical Services eventually have torture methods, such as waterboarding, isolation, sleep deprivation, causing anxiety, as well „more stringent interrogation methods“ Approved and found medically acceptable. On closer examination, however, all these methods are clearly torture. For the medical professor and member of the Gerald Thomson research group, there is no question that Americans must rely on doctors to follow medical ethics. No matter who you work for. Whether the report really starts a change remains to be seen. The mere call to the medical staff of the Pentagon and the CIA to adhere to medical ethics will probably have very little effect.

Changes remain questionable
Pressure is also to be exerted on the medical associations and the Psychological Association, which should strengthen ethical standards. The US President is also being asked to finally initiate an independent investigation into the involvement of medical personnel in torture and ill-treatment. The state should clearly take a position on the events. One should not expect too much, because the only thing that let President Obama investigate was the question of whether there are techniques directly bordering on torture to make prisoners talk. It should also be doubted whether a well-defined Medical Ethics will prevent doctors and psychologists from directly or indirectly participating in torture. From a really new knowledge that participation in torture contradicts the medical ethics can not be spoken ultimately. (Fr)