Guantanamo detainees questioned under drugs
WASHINGTON - Agence France-Presse
US Military Police escort a detainee to his cell in Guantanamo in this photo.
Guantanamo inmates receiving medication for psychological problems may have provided unreliable information in their altered mental capacity, a Pentagon report revealed on July 12.Some prisoners at the notorious U.S. detention center in Cuba were interviewed while receiving treatment for poor mental health, according to the report from the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Defense.
“Some detainees received ongoing medication with psychoactive drugs [for treatment of diagnosed medical conditions] which could impair an individual’s ability to provide accurate information,” the document said.
The report “found no evidence that the [department] authorized the use of mind-altering drugs
to facilitate interrogation.” An
online magazine featuring investigative reporting, Truthout (truth-out.org), published the report
after it filed a request to authorities two years ago, citing a free press law.
“Under the system set up, any statements detainees made during these interrogations would be presumed accurate, even if detainees took medication that could produce unreliable information,” Shayana Kadidal, a lawyer coordinating representation for Guantanamo inmates, told Truthout.
