Architects of CIA interrogation program settle torture lawsuit

Three weeks before jury trial

The Washington Post

Two psychologists who devised the CIA’s brutal interrogation program have settled a lawsuit with several victims less than three weeks before a jury trial was set to begin in a federal court in Spokane, Wash.

The settlement, reached Wednesday, caps a remarkable case in which for the first time former top CIA officials were forced to testify about their roles in the program launched after 9/11. The suit unearthed CIA records that shed new light on the program’s creation and how controversial it was within the agency.

In the settlement, the psychologists James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, who were hired as contractors, acknowledged that they worked with the CIA to develop the program to interrogate detainees using “specific coercive methods.”

But in statements Thursday, the two men distanced themselves from any “unauthorized” actions that spurred the lawsuit.

The terms of the settlement were kept confidential.

The three detainees who were alleged in the suit to be victims of torture were held at a secret prison in Afghanistan known as “Salt Pit.” One of them, an Afghan named Gul Rahman, froze to death in November 2002. The other two were Suleiman Abdullah Salim, a Tanzanian fisherman arrested in Kenya, and Mohamed Ahmed Ben Soud, a Libyan captured in Pakistan.

All three were subjected to methods developed by Mr. Jessen and Mr. Mitchell. Mr. Rahman was sleep-deprived and kept clothed in only a diaper for almost the entire time Mr. Jessen interrogated him, according to information obtained through discovery.

None of the three men was ever charged with a crime by the U.S. government. They endured beatings, various forms of water torture, exposure to extreme temperatures, confinement in stress positions designed to keep them awake for days at a time, and earsplitting levels of music.

“This is a historic victory for our clients and the rule of law,” said Dror Ladin, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the case on behalf of the victims.

In a joint statement, Mr. Salim, Mr. Soud and the family of Mr. Rahman said: “We brought this case seeking accountability and to help ensure that no one else has to endure torture and abuse, and we feel that we have achieved our goals.”

The suit was filed in October 2015 using information in a Senate Intelligence Committee report on the program and disclosures from previous ACLU suits. It was the first CIA torture-related case that was not dismissed at an early stage.