US army style

Wook

Sesame Street breaks Iraqi POWs


'Culturally offensive' music is being used to break prisoners
Heavy metal music and popular American children's songs are being used by US interrogators to break the will of their captives in Iraq.

Uncooperative prisoners are being exposed for prolonged periods to tracks by rock group Metallica and music from children's TV programmes Sesame Street and Barney in the hope of making them talk.

The US's Psychological Operations Company (Psy Ops) said the aim was to break a prisoner's resistance through sleep deprivation and playing music that was culturally offensive to them.

However, human rights organisation, Amnesty International, said such tactics may constitute torture - and coalition forces could be in breach of the Geneva Convention.

Sergeant Mark Hadsell, of Psy Ops, told Newsweek magazine: "These people haven't heard heavy metal.

This is an issue that seriously concerns us. If there is a prolonged period of sleep deprivation, it could well be considered torture

Amnesty International spokesperson

"They can't take it. If you play it for 24 hours, your brain and body functions start to slide, your train of thought slows down and your will is broken. That's when we come in and talk to them."

Sgt Hadsell's favourites are said to be 'Bodies' from the XXX film soundtrack and Metallica's 'Enter Sandman'.

The theme tune from the US children's programme Sesame Street and songs from the purple singing dinosaur Barney are also on their hit list.

"In training, they forced me to listen to the Barney "I Love You" song for 45 minutes. I never want to go through that again," one US operative told the magazine.

'No lasting effect'

Rick Hoffman, vice president of the Psy Ops Veterans Association, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that such a tactic would have no long-lasting effect on prisoners.

"The use of this kind of audio-technique is rather new in interrogation," he said.

"There have been other kinds of non-lethal, non-harmful techniques, such as sleep deprivation... which leave no long-lasting effects but do have the end result of breaking down the individual's will to resist questioning."


The TV theme tunes are repeated over long periods

Amnesty International told BBC News Online that at least one Iraqi captive - a civilian, later released - had reported being kept awake for up to four days by loud music.

"This is an issue that seriously concerns us. If there is a prolonged period of sleep deprivation, it could well be considered torture," said a spokeswoman.

"It is a very difficult line to draw between what constitutes discomfort and what constitutes torture - that line will vary for individuals and it would depend on each particular case," she added.

She said they were looking into whether the US and UK were abiding by their responsibilities under the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war.

The UK's Ministry of Defence has said all its prisoners are being held under the terms of the Geneva Convention and are visited by members of the International Red Cross.

i wonder what US soldiers and government would say if islamic armies would do the same with their music style ?
am not sure if i could taKE this ..to listen at Barney..i probably kill myself

sceptre

Originally posted by Wook
i wonder what US soldiers and government would say if islamic armies would do the same with their music style ?
am not sure if i could taKE this ..to listen at Barney..i probably kill myself

Mossad will be making prisoners listen to Ofra Haza for days on end yet.

The Corinthian

Originally posted by Wook
"In training, they forced me to listen to the Barney "I Love You" song for 45 minutes. I never want to go through that again," one US operative told the magazine.

Inhuman monsters!!!

Von

If I was torturing someone, I'd go for an infinite loop of Havin' A Roni by Vanilla Ice, a gabba version of Why Don't You Kill Yourself by The Only Ones, and this year's Austrian eurovision entry

The difference between animals such as apes and primates
Is no bigger than between noodles and pasta
But whoever wants to know more about animals should study
Biology or inform himself on my homepage

Sparks

As I understand it, they're having a lot more success with beating the prisoners to death and threatening their children.

Anyone else think that this story being leaked is a wonderful exercise in humanising an inhuman practise? "Awww, they're playing Barney at them? Is that all? Gee, I guess it can't be all that bad so..."

Sarky

Anyone who would say that has obviously never been subjected to even one whole song by the purple freak.

That's very close to torture even in western culture, the beliefs and mindset of folks from the east would probably push it over the line.

Occidental

With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won't you say you love me too.



I need a drink

Éomer of Rohan

Bloody Hell! After five minutes I'd have cracked, having to listen to that s**t!

bonkey

I just love the semi-justification thats offered....

"No lasting effect".

Uh-huh. Riiiiight. I assume the US military can provide the documentation on the test cases where they have subjected them to this form of torture, at the levels relevant here, and also the long-term followup research which monitors whether or not there were any lasting effects.

I tell you...if you could introduce new drugs onto the market ignoring the rigours of the approval process as easily as these guys seem to brush aside the Geneva Convention here.....I'm pretty sure that people wouldn't be so blasé about it.

jc

SkepticOne

Originally posted by Wook
i wonder what US soldiers and government would say if islamic armies would do the same with their music style ?
am not sure if i could taKE this ..to listen at Barney..i probably kill myself

Maybe they have other, more traditional methods of torture? Some of them, anyway.

Sparks

Some of them? Try all of them. That's whats annoying me about this story - everyone laughs because it's Barney, and a kids' tv show can't be all that bad, can it? But the thing is that apart from the fact that their detention is illegal and flouts just about every international convention on POWs going, but they're merrily beating prisoners to death (two documented cases so far), detaining kids (the youngest occupant is estimated to be 13 years old), threatening fathers by threatening their children, and as one source in the pentagon put it, shipping some prisoners to "less squeamish" states for other forms of torture.
:mad:
And yet, the first thing the Pentagon does when it's soldiers are captured is demand that they be treated according to the Geneva Convention...

Éomer of Rohan

You know i agree with you Sparks but I mean, it is Barney; if they put me in a room to listen to all that, I'd just tell them what they wanted to know after five minutes.

fisty

lol?

bonkey

Originally posted by Sparks

And yet, the first thing the Pentagon does when it's soldiers are captured is demand that they be treated according to the Geneva Convention...

Ahh...but didnt you hear....because the US says "these weren't soldiers, honest....", then Geneva doesnt apply.

And hey...they've even released some of these "obviously guilty" men without charge...even after deciding not to bother with the rigours of proof necessary in a criminal court, and favouring a military one instead. So I mean...they let them go once they decide their innocent, so they're not all that bad....

jc

Sparks

Ahh...but didnt you hear....because the US says "these weren't soldiers, honest....", then Geneva doesnt apply.

I heard bonkey, it's just that they don't have the legal right to say that. The Geneva convention lists who it does and does not cover, and those in Guantanamo are covered. In the cases where a dispute arises, as it does for some of those in Guantanamo, the Convention calls for a ruling to be made by an "independent tribunal". The US states that despite it being the party holding the POWs captive, that they can act as that independent tribunal. Which I hold to be patently false as they are an involved party with a vested interest in the situation.

So I mean...they let them go once they decide their innocent, so they're not all that bad....

Yeah, they're releasing them - without compensation for false arrest, after a year of torture, and without even an apology.