Bush Torture Did Not Work

According to a report, torture techniques used by the Bush administration are likely to have yielded incorrect information from terrorist suspects

If you needed more evidence that George W Bush got it wrong, then here it is. According to a report in the journal Trends in Cognitive Science, torture techniques used by the Bush administration are likely to have yielded incorrect information from terrorist suspects, as coercive methods may have unintended negative effects on the brain. The recent article has reviewed scientific evidence proving the harmful impact of extreme stress on brain functions, especially memory.

Torture techniques used by the CIA, sanctioned under Bush, were made public by the US Justice Department in April this year, and the listing of methods such as keeping detainees awake for up to 11 straight days, placing them in a dark cramped box or putting insects into the box to exploit
their fears, were received with criticism, indeed horror.

Psychological studies have revealed that it is almost impossible to tell whether the interviewee subjected to coercive methods of interrogation is actually revealing accurate information or simply talking to avoid being tortured again. Research has shown that severe stress also has the effect of producing false memories.

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Sohini Chattopadhyay