MPAC and APPNA Meet With Pentagon Officials To Discuss Mental Health of Detainees
November 02, 2007
Earlier this week, the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) and the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) met with top level Pentagon officials to discuss the mental state of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. Due to four suicide-related deaths within the last year, and a 2006 United Nations report that has indicated that the treatment of detainees has had profound effects on their mental health, MPAC requested a meeting with the Office of Detainee Affairs, the Office of Health Affairs, and the Office of the General Counsel.
Those who attended the meeting included: Salam Al-Marayati (MPAC Executive Director), Safiya Ghori (MPAC Government Relations Director), Dr. Zahid Imran (psychiatrist and APPNA representative) and Dr. Nayyer Ali (physician and MPAC board member). Also participating in the meeting were mental health providers and the cultural affairs advisor from Guantanamo Bay via video teleconference.
"Mental illness appears to be rather prevalent among detainees with 17% of the current inmates suffering from a psychiatric diagnosis and 5% suffering from depression," Dr. Nayyer Ali told the physicians. Five percent of the detainees are currently taking psychiatric medication and three of the inmates are diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to officials.
The U.N. report posits that the effects of indefinite detention and the conditions of confinement such as "sensory deprivation, exposure to extreme temperatures, and the use of interrogation techniques" have led to "serious mental illness, including 350 acts of self-harm in 2003 alone, as well as individual and mass-suicide attempts and widespread hunger strikes."
According to the Pentagon, there are currently 330 detainees still being held at Guantanamo out of the original 800. Additionally, the Department of Defense has recognized 41 suicide attempts among 29 detainees. However, in January of 2005, the New York Times reported that out of 350 acts of self-harm, there were 120 incidents of inmates trying to hang themselves, while 23 detainees took part in simultaneous mass-suicide attempts.
During the meeting with the treating physicians at Guantanamo Bay, officials stated that a number of inmates have gone on hunger strike. They also stated that when malnutrition becomes severe enough to constitute a threat to their health, detainees are force fed by the insertion and removal of a nasal feeding tube twice a day. In addition, the medical staff made it clear that if an inmate refused medication felt to be necessary for their life, it would be forcibly administered.
The Guantanamo medical team stated that there has been no formal intelligence testing on the detainees, but that approximately 30% of the detainees are illiterate. Similarly, the medical team explained that the medical personnel who assist in interrogations are separate from treating physicians. Dr. Zahid Imran questioned the ethical boundaries on which these "behavioral science consultants" are allowed access to information that is confidential under the doctor-patient relationship.
During the meeting, MPAC Government Relations Director Safiya Ghori questioned the effect of interrogation techniques that amount to torture on the mental health of detainees. Both the Office of Detainee Affairs and the medical professionals at Guantanamo stated that no coercive practices are used during interrogations. To this effect, Dr. Imran reminded the group that "torture only gives us an idea on someone's ability to tolerate pain, and doesn't really help in getting relevant information."
MPAC Executive Director Salam Al-Marayati ended the meeting by emphasizing the importance of "the rehabilitation process of detainees and the need for an effective counter to the ideology of terrorism. That requires more engagement between organizations like MPAC and the U.S. government."
While the medical staff addressed concerns about the medical facilities at Guantanamo Bay, MPAC remains concerned about the deprivation of liberties and the lack of due process afforded to the detainees. MPAC strongly asserts that detention without charges or access to counsel is a departure from established principles of human rights and international law. Furthermore, the Guantanamo Bay detention facilities remain an iconic symbol worldwide of American policy in the war on terror.
Founded in 1988, the Muslim Public Affairs Council is an American institution which informs and shapes public opinion and policy by serving as a trusted resource to decision makers in government, media and policy institutions. MPAC is also committed to developing leaders with the purpose of enhancing the political and civic participation of Muslim Americans.
[CONTACT: Edina Lekovic, 213-383-3443, communications@mpac.org]
