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CAMP DELTA, GUANTANAMO
Health and Human Rights
Controversies
Co-Sponsored by PHR,
FXB and AI
Conference Summary
Highlights of Dr. Matthew's talk
Highlights of Dr. Keller's talk
Highlights of Dr. Grodin's talk
Commentary and Discussion
PowerPoint Presentations of the talks
Highlights of Dr. Matthew's talk
After welcoming remarks by Boston University School of
Public Health Vice-Dean, Leonard H. Glantz, J.D. and a brief
introduction by George J. Annas, J.D. MPH, Chair of the Department of
Health Law, Bioethics and Human Rights at the School of Public Health,
Dr. Daryl Matthews spoke about the mental health aspects of
detentions. He first explained how he, as a civilian forensic
psychiatrist, had been asked by the US Army to accompany a military
task force to Guantanamo, charged with evaluating the mental health
provisions afforded the prisoners, in light of several reported
suicide attempts. He had been given access to some of the prisoners,
but was prohibited from learning anything about the methods or terms
of interrogations used. This information would have been key to
compiling an accurate assessment and specific recommendations. He
believes the task force�s recommendations were taken seriously and
changes made; however he does not know which suggestions were
implemented. Unfortunately, due to confidentiality matters, he was
prevented from detailing any of his findings or the results of his
report. He did state, however, that he now was working closely with
the office of Military Defense Counsel, illustrating the harmful
mental effects of solitary confinement, including but not limited to:
hallucinations, depression, anxiety, mood liability and paranoid
thinking. He further explained how isolation and conditions of
confinement ultimately make these prisoners susceptible to mental
coercion and false confessions.
He also showed several pictures depicting
degrading modes of prisoner transport to Guantanamo, holding cells
with painted arrows pointing toward Mecca and giving the exact
distance to the holy city. He showed photos of all the items each
prisoner was issued on arrival. Noteworthy was of the several cartoons
he displayed, those from foreign press were all of negative hue toward
Guantanamo, while those from the US press reflected a more positive
take on the facility, likening it to a Caribbean Club Med for
instance.
Highlights of Dr. Keller's talk
Dr. Allen Keller provided some background information on the
research work he did as a Soros Fellow in conjunction with Physicians
for Human Rights, looking at the health consequences of detentions for
individuals seeking asylum in this country. He showed pictures of the
facilities they were granted access to- windowless and barren. He
recounted the stories of a few of the individuals he had met and
interviewed; many of them had been tortured in their home countries
and were forced to flee and were then greeted here in the US by being
carted off to detention facilities without any idea of what may be in
store for them. What clearly emerged was that the ill effects on
mental and physical health increased with the duration of the
detentions and the uncertainty of their futures.
His work and the results of this study are well
documented in PHR�s Executive Summary �From Persecution to Prison: The
Health Consequences of Detention for Asylum Seekers� available at:
http://www.phrusa.org/campaigns/asylum_network/
detention_execSummary/dr2-sum.html
Highlights of Dr. Grodin's talk
Dr. Michael Grodin eloquently reviewed the many articles and
provisions within human rights and humanitarian laws being violated by
the US and pointed out how their refusal to follow even basic
procedures has seriously undermined any credibility within the
international community. He also stated that the pictures shown and
the little information provided via the media were evidence of
violations against the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel,
Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. He further touched on
the issue of Dual Loyalty and the PHR�s proposed guidelines for
practice in difficult settings.
Link to
hand-out of relevant human rights and humanitarian instruments being
violated.
Commentary and Discussion
Leonard Rubenstein, JD provided a brief commentary in which he did not
mince words, stating the US has absolutely no legal standing for their
actions in Guantanamo, the detrimental effects this precedent is
setting and reminded the audience that there are many more �detention
camps� of equal or worse condition, where rights are being violated on
a daily basis and how PHR is trying hard to get access and document
these abuses.
Dr. Stephen Marks, Director of Harvard�s Francois
Xavier-Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights joined the other
panel members for the lively discussion phase. Dr. Mark�s listed three
categories requiring action: Political, Legal and Media. Of those, the
legal angle is getting the most attention, specifically the cases
before the Supreme Court to be hear later this month. All agreed the
Guantanamo detentions should be part of the political debate and
elevated to an election issue. Despite some coverage within the US
media, the consensus remained that interest of the national media
outlets has been poor.
Among the many questions raised was the total
lack of information regarding further suicide attempts by prisoners
over the past several months, given what we know about the duration of
detention�s impact on mental health deterioration. A call was made for
an independent body such as Physicians for Human Rights or Global
Lawyers and Physicians to be granted unfettered access to Guantanamo
and other facilities where enemy combatants are being imprisoned to
achieve transparency and accuracy in reporting the conditions of these
prisons. George Annas had the last word calling for a complete pull
out and abolition of the Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba as it simply
posed too much of a temptation for legal transgressions. |
