One Utah

Jose Padilla is a Brooklyn-born Muslim convert whom the Bush administration arrested in May 2002 and accused of plotting a radiaoctive “dirty bomb” attack on Washington, DC. He was detained without charges as an “illegal enemy combatant” and held in solitary confinement for three and a half years in a bare cell in the brig at the Naval Weapons Station in Charleston, South Carolina. For the first 21 months, he was not allowed to see a lawyer.

In November 2005, the government finally charged Padilla– with conspiracy “to murder, kidnap and maim people overseas.” The widely-publicized theories about Padilla’s dirty bomb plot and other planned acts of terrorism are missing from the indictment. Padilla pled not guilty and was transferred to federal prison in Miami, Florida where he now awaits a trial slated for January.

In addition to the issue of habeas corpus and violation of Padilla’s rights as an American citizen, allegations of torture during interrogation while in military custody have been made by Padilla’s lawyers (excerpts):

In an effort to gain Mr. Padilla’s “dependency and trust,” he was tortured for nearly the entire three years and eight months of his unlawful detention. The torture took myriad forms, each designed to cause pain, anguish, depression and, ultimately, the loss of will to live. The base ingredient in Mr. Padilla’s torture was stark isolation for a substantial portion of his captivity . . .

Mr. Padilla’s dehumanization at the hands of his captors also took more sinister forms. Mr. Padilla was often put in stress positions for hours at a time. He would be shackled and manacled, with a belly chain, for hours in his cell. Noxious fumes would be introduced to his room causing his eyes and nose to run. The temperature of his cell would be manipulated, making his cell extremely cold for long stretches of time. Mr. Padilla was denied even the smallest, and most personal shreds of human dignity . . .

He was also threatened with imminent execution. . . He was forced to endure exceedingly long interrogation sessions, without adequate sleep, wherein he would be confronted with false information, scenarios, and documents to further disorient him. Often he had to endure multiple interrogators who would scream, shake, and otherwise assault Mr. Padilla.

Additionally, Mr. Padilla was given drugs against his will, believed to be some form of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or phencyclidine (PCP), to act as a sort of truth serum during his interrogations.

Bear in mind that these alleged torture methods were used on an American who had not been charged with any crime. While the video recordings of Padilla’s interrogation sessions remain classified, his lawyers have obtained a short video that shows a glimpse of the conditions of his incarceration in the brig. In the video, Padilla’s hands and legs are shackled and he is taken by guards from cell no. 103 to the dentist for a root canal treatment. The New York Times has still images from the video, which the lawyers contend documents “outrageous conduct” by the government.

This entry was posted Monday, December 4th, 2006 at 12:01 pm and is filed under Human Rights, The Constitution, This Blog. Both comments and pings are currently closed.