The June 2008 report "Broken Laws, Broken Lives: Medical Evidence of Torture by US Personnel and Its Impact" is another interesting Physicians for Human Rights document. The report "provides first-hand accounts and medical evidence of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment ("ill-treatment") of eleven former detainees who were held in US custody overseas." I recommend review of this report by anyone with a conscience.
The eleven detainees were evaluated on study by two experienced clinicians according to the "guidelines for assessing physical and psychological evidence of torture set out in the Instanbul Protocol, Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment." Informed consent for the study was obtained prior to clinical evaluation. No consenting detainees were excluded from the study.
The study found that the eleven detainees experienced "torture and ill-treatment" and "resulting long-term physical and psychological harm." Common methods of torture and ill-treatment included the following: beatings during arrest/transport/initial custody, deprivation of basic necessities and sanitary conditions, stress positions (forced standing/handcuffing/shackling), isolation, sensory deprivation, bombardment, threats of harm to detainees and their families, use of extreme temperatures, electric shocks, sexual assault, physical assault, sleep deprivation, degrading treatment (sexual/religious/cultural/other), and witnessing torture and cruel treatment. The study also documented disturbing evidence of complicity of health professionals in the torture and ill-treatment of detainees and denial of medical care to detainees.
The study concluded that "all of the abusive interrogation techniques and patterns of ill-treatment endured by these eleven men ... constituted acts of torture as well as cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment under domestic criminal statutes and internal human rights and humanitarian treaties, including the Convention Against torture and the Geneva Conventions, that were in effect at the time the acts were committed." The executive summary of the report mocks the US government by noting that the US State Department has identified the acts documented in the study as torture when committed by other governments. The executive summary also mocks the US government by noting that multiple US laws identify the acts documented in the study as torture.
The plumbline libertarian bioethicist has no qualms with the conduct or conclusions of this disturbing study. However, the plumbline libertarian bioethicist does dispute the utility of the seven silly recommendations the study makes, for all the recommendations necessitate just action by the US government, which is clearly identified as a criminal organization in the study. The plumbline libertarian bioethicist, instead, recommends, at a minimum, separation of medicine and state, and, ideally, abolition of the state.
The eleven detainees were evaluated on study by two experienced clinicians according to the "guidelines for assessing physical and psychological evidence of torture set out in the Instanbul Protocol, Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment." Informed consent for the study was obtained prior to clinical evaluation. No consenting detainees were excluded from the study.
The study found that the eleven detainees experienced "torture and ill-treatment" and "resulting long-term physical and psychological harm." Common methods of torture and ill-treatment included the following: beatings during arrest/transport/initial custody, deprivation of basic necessities and sanitary conditions, stress positions (forced standing/handcuffing/shackling), isolation, sensory deprivation, bombardment, threats of harm to detainees and their families, use of extreme temperatures, electric shocks, sexual assault, physical assault, sleep deprivation, degrading treatment (sexual/religious/cultural/other), and witnessing torture and cruel treatment. The study also documented disturbing evidence of complicity of health professionals in the torture and ill-treatment of detainees and denial of medical care to detainees.
The study concluded that "all of the abusive interrogation techniques and patterns of ill-treatment endured by these eleven men ... constituted acts of torture as well as cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment under domestic criminal statutes and internal human rights and humanitarian treaties, including the Convention Against torture and the Geneva Conventions, that were in effect at the time the acts were committed." The executive summary of the report mocks the US government by noting that the US State Department has identified the acts documented in the study as torture when committed by other governments. The executive summary also mocks the US government by noting that multiple US laws identify the acts documented in the study as torture.
The plumbline libertarian bioethicist has no qualms with the conduct or conclusions of this disturbing study. However, the plumbline libertarian bioethicist does dispute the utility of the seven silly recommendations the study makes, for all the recommendations necessitate just action by the US government, which is clearly identified as a criminal organization in the study. The plumbline libertarian bioethicist, instead, recommends, at a minimum, separation of medicine and state, and, ideally, abolition of the state.
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