UK Guantanamo detainee near suicide after years of torture, doctors warn

[babylonsister]

UK Guantanamo detainee near suicide after years of torture, doctors warn
By Robert Verkaik, Law Editor
Published: 18 December 2007


A British resident being held in Guantanamo Bay may be close to suicide after five years of captivity and torture at the hands of the Americans, the Foreign Secretary David Miliband has been warned in a medical report sent to the Government this week.

The report concludes that Binyam Mohamed, from Kensington, west London, is at the end of his "psychological tether" after guards at the US naval base in Cuba switched off the water supply to his cell when he began spreading his own faeces over the walls. Mr Mohamed is one of at least seven detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay who claim British residency. Three of the men are expected to be reunited with their families before Christmas after the Government successfully negotiated their release. But the Americans have made it clear that Mr Mohamed must remain in detention to face a military tribunal on charges of terrorism.

In his letter to Mr Miliband, Clive Stafford Smith, the legal director of the UK-based Reprieve representing Mr Mohamed, now 29, calls for an "urgent humanitarian intervention" in his case.

Mr Stafford Smith said: "The urgency is underlined today because Mr Mohamed has been repeatedly smearing his cell walls with faeces. This is not because Mr Mohamed is trying to violate the rules (as the US military apparently believes), but because of his mental instability. The military's response is to cut the water to his cell off, compounding an obvious health hazard."

A preliminary medical opinion, commissioned by Reprieve, has found Mr Mohamed to be suffering from severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dr Daniel Creson, a respected psychiatrist from Texas who has extensive experience in the treatment of the victims of torture, warns that the deterioration in Mr Mohamed's health suggests that he "is reaching the end of his psychological tether".

more...

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article3260709.ece

[thereismore]

1. They cut off water to his cell .... and that's supposed to achieve what exactly? nt

[babylonsister]

3. We treat them no better than animals, and we call ourselves a

more just nation? I don't see it...

[thereismore]

11. My son stopped saying the pledge of allegiance in school. How can I blame him? nt

[baby_mouse]

4. Show him who's boss. NT.

[Kurovski]

2. K&R. (nt)

[donkeyotay]

5. kick nt

[The Stranger]

6. The torture stories get suprisingly few responses, and fewer recommendations.

Are people already in fear of being next?

[babylonsister]

7. I think it could be outrage overload. nt

[tblue37]

8. K&R

[K Gardner]

9. Guantanamo needs to be shut down and reserved for Bush, Cheney et al.

Why is this stuff being overlooked? Merry fucking Christmas.

[Canuckistanian]

10. "Years of torture"

What, exactly does "years of torture" achieve? If your "suspect" has "vital information", you have only a short period of time to extract it and act on it.

And even that scenario is theoretical, given that torture rarely leads to useful information.

So why YEARS of torture? What possible scintilla of information could you bring out after say, 3 months of torture?

I'll tell you what you're going to get. A whole lot of NOTHING. No leads. No names, no dates, no details.

If you ask me, this guy is being kept around to satisfy the need for revenge on somebody.

He's the personal punching bag of sick fucks who need to work our their aggressions at being stuck in a dead-end assignment.

[K Gardner]

12. Five Brits Flown Home from Guantanamo..

Just in on CNN... YAY ! Media coverage !