Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
UN Investigator: Guant谩namo Detainees Live With 'Deep Psychological Harm'
The last 30 detainees at Guant谩namo Bay, including the men accused of plotting the Sept. 11 attacks, are being held by the United States under circumstances that constitute 鈥渃ruel, inhuman and degrading treatment under international law,鈥 a United Nations human rights investigator said on Monday. Fionnuala Ni Aolain, a law professor in Minnesota serving as special rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights, included the finding in a report drawn from a four-day visit to the prison in February. ... She specifically cited the cumulative effects of inadequate health care, solitary confinement, restraints and use of force to remove prisoners from their cells as contributing to her conclusions. She said the conditions at the prison 鈥渕ay also meet the legal threshold for torture.鈥 (Rosenberg, 6/26)
N铆 Aol谩in said her visit marked the first time a U.S. administration has allowed a U.N. investigator to visit the facility, which opened in 2002. ... N铆 Aol谩in said the specialist care and facilities at Guantanamo 鈥渁re not adequate to meet the complex and urgent mental and physical health issues of detainees鈥 ranging from permanent disabilities and traumatic brain injuries to chronic pain, gastrointestinal and urinary issues. (6/27)
In other recent news 鈥
By the time the prisoner accused of plotting the U.S.S. Cole bombing boasted about his role in the attack during interrogations at Guant谩namo Bay, his memories and account were unreliable because of years of isolation and torture by the C.I.A., a former military interrogator testified Friday. Prosecutors say the statements that Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi prisoner, gave during interrogations in 2007 are crucial evidence against him. Defense lawyers consider them tainted by torture. Now the judge, Col. Lanny J. Acosta Jr., is expected to decide whether agents can testify about the confession at Mr. Nashiri鈥檚 eventual trial. (Rosenberg, 6/17)