US torture doctors could face charges after report alleges post-9/11 'collusion' - Polidicks

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/W0qqWtN.jpg?1[/IMG] [QUOTE]The largest association of psychologists in the United States is on the brink of a crisis, the Guardian has learned, after an independent review revealed that medical professionals lied and covered up their extensive involvement in post-9/11 torture. The revelation, puncturing years of denials, has already led to at least one leadership firing and creates the potential for loss of licenses and even prosecutions. For more than a decade, the American Psychological Association (APA) has maintained that a strict code of ethics prohibits its more than 130,000 members to aid in the torture of detainees while simultaneously permitting involvement in military and intelligence interrogations. The group has rejected media reporting on psychologists’ complicity in torture; suppressed internal dissent from anti-torture doctors; cleared members of wrongdoing; and portrayed itself as a consistent ally against abuse. Now, a voluminous independent review conducted by a former assistant US attorney, David Hoffman, undermines the APA’s denials in full – and vindicates the dissenters. Sources with knowledge of the report and its consequences, who requested anonymity to discuss the findings before public release, expected a wave of firings and resignations across the leadership of an organization that Hoffman finds used its extensive institutional links to the CIA and US military to facilitate abusive interrogations. Several officials are likely to be sacked. Already out, a past APA president confirmed to the Guardian, is Stephen Behnke, the APA’s ethics chief and a leading figure in recasting its ethics guidelines in a manner conducive to interrogations that, from the start, relied heavily on psychologists to design and implement techniques like waterboarding. Evidence in the Hoffman report, sources believe, may merit referral to the FBI over potential criminal wrongdoing by the APA involvement in torture. The findings could reopen something human rights groups have urged for years: the potential for prosecutions of people involved in torture. The definition of “collusion” adopted by Hoffman is said to be similar to language used in the federal racketeering statute known as Rico. If so, however, it would not be American military or intelligence interrogators themselves under investigation, nor the senior officials who devised torture policy in the Bush administration, but the psychologists who enabled them. Additionally, sources believe there will be grounds to initiate ethics charges against responsible individuals both within the APA and in the states in which they operate, which would be the first step toward the loss of a professional license. Sources familiar with Hoffman’s report said the APA, knowing that the findings will undermine years of its public positions, is negotiating with its dissenters and critics to deliver a public apology. Recommendations for structural reform are said to be likely ahead of the organization’s 123rd annual convention, scheduled to begin on 6 August in Toronto.[/QUOTE] [URL="http://www.theguardian.com/law/2015/jul/10/us-torture-doctors-psychologists-apa-prosecution"]Source[/URL].

This Is Some Fucked Up Shit. ..

The problem with any profession, even medicine, is that almost every individual has their price. Only a very few will have the appropriate mindset to ignore temptations put in front of them, no matter if it leads to bad things happening to them either. Medical ethics strictly says that no physician should participate in or abet the torture of other individuals. And yet, in 2005, a controversial decision was taken that physicians could perform consulting roles in the interrogation of a subject for national security reasons, by a somewhat shady task force set up by the APA themselves, perhaps the faction which was backed by the government/DoD/intelligence agencies. But the report itself was eventually rescinded, thank god, in mid-2013, with a strong reiteration that ethics supervenes all other concerns. I would be fully on board with these participants in unethical practices losing their licences. Perhaps some leniency could be granted if there was coercion involved, though I sincerely doubt that anybody who went through with it didn't do it of their own free will.

Ah, the guardian, last bastion of journalism verite and supreme expert on US criminality. Extremely doubtful anyone will face criminal charges of any kind. People will probably be fired, as they should rightly be and there will likely be loss of a few licenses, but if anyone thinks that operations conducted at the government's behest will lead to prison time, they are going to be sadly mistaken, particularly in light of the Obama administration continuing many of the practices and directives Bush put in place, including restarting several that had been shut down during Bush's term for being ineffective.

Never should the words "Torture, doctor" precede each other.

[QUOTE=Starpluck;48176282]Never should the words "Torture, doctor" precede each other.[/QUOTE] Absolutely. You're supposed to feel comfortable around doctors and cops. That stuff is ingrained into you as a kid. Why does reality have to be different? The second anything even remotely close to "torture" is brought into the picture, I think "criminal".

[QUOTE=wauterboi;48176326]Absolutely. You're supposed to feel comfortable around doctors and cops. That stuff is ingrained into you as a kid. Why does reality have to be different? The second anything even remotely close to "torture" is brought into the picture, I think "criminal".[/QUOTE] The sad part is that some few of the people who've condoned this might even be deluded into thinking that they were doing good or the right thing, though it's likely they could just be insulating themselves from an unpleasant truth A doctor is supposed to be a good person, one who cares for people and puts their needs above his own personal thoughts or prejudices. And yet, we come to the problem of basic human nature; everybody has their price. There are few who're motivated enough to set aside lures for a high standard of service and ethics both.

[QUOTE] Interrogators extensively deprived Qahtani of sleep, forced him to perform what the log called “dog tricks”, inundated him with loud music for extended periods, and forcibly hydrated him intravenously until he urinated on himself.[/QUOTE] The fact that Abu Graib and Guantanamo shit happens boggles my mind. Its really all you need to justify a hatred America. You really can't say bad apples when even the top politicians are fine with it.

[QUOTE=Rangergxi;48176400]The fact that Abu Graib and Guantanamo shit happens boggles my mind. Its really all you need to justify a hatred America. You really can't say bad apples when even the top politicians are fine with it.[/QUOTE] And we vote for these people, so it's also our fault.

[QUOTE=wauterboi;48176556]And we vote for these people, so it's also our fault.[/QUOTE] We have little to no control over what they actually do nor the ability to predict things like this.

I've always been under the mentality that as long as you vote for your [B]congressmen[/B] (which I don't people value at all), you've put in your effort as a US citizen. If you don't vote or don't vote carefully, you're at fault. Period. These politicians are in Congress because everyone focuses on the president and doesn't give a shit about congressmen. When things go bad, people point to the president and not the senators and representatives. It's garbage.

[QUOTE=wauterboi;48177069]I've always been under the mentality that as long as you vote for your [B]congressmen[/B] (which I don't people value at all), you've put in your effort as a US citizen. If you don't vote or don't vote carefully, you're at fault. Period. These politicians are in Congress because everyone focuses on the president and doesn't give a shit about congressmen. When things go bad, people point to the president and not the senators and representatives. It's garbage.[/QUOTE] Uh, if you *vote carefully* when both leading canidates are fine with it doesnt absolve you of fault. And you arent magically at fault to begin with when everything from the two party system/lack of first past the post to the rampant corruption and "lobbying" plays a much bigger role than your vote. Not saying people should think of their vote in a crowd as insignificant, because when it's not rigged, it is worth something. But right now it's more or less a clever occurance that just gets the apathetics and proud voters to focus on eachother rather than the underlying issues. Either mentality is cute, but ultimately pointless.

Error. Human is Dead, mismatch.

[QUOTE=Starpluck;48176282]Never should the words "Torture, doctor" precede each other.[/QUOTE] Unless of course it was a doctor who specialized in fixing tortured people.

That header image is fucking medieval.