Attorneys for Guantánamo detainee Abu Zubaydah have filed a lawsuit against the two psychologists, James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, who developed the harsh interrogation techniques used by the CIA, including waterboarding and sleep deprivation. The UK human rights group Reprieve announced the case on June 7. The attorneys are seeking to subpoena the psychologists in order to uncover evidence about the torture that allegedly went on in Poland. According to US law, a federal district court may "order discovery of documents and testimony for use in a foreign proceeding from any person who resides or is found in the court's district." The case will be heard in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. The CIA had detained the plaintiff in a secret Polish prison from 2002 to 2003 on suspicions that he was a "facilitator" for al Qaeda. Zubaydah has been held at Guantanamo since 2006. In April 2016 a federal judge ruled that another lawsuit against the same psychologists with different plaintiffs could proceed.
From Jurist, June 9. Used with permission.
Settlement in suit over CIA interrogation techniques
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Aug. 17 announced a settlement in a lawsuit against two psychologists who devised the torture techniques used on three former CIA prisoners. The ACLU filed the lawsuit in 2015 against psychologists James Mitchell and John "Bruce" Jessen, who allegedly designed and persuaded the CIA to adopt their torture techniques as official practice of the CIA. As part of the settlement, the plaintiffs and defendants agreed to a joint statement. (Jurist)
The financial award in the settlement remains secret, and will in any case be paid by the federal government. The new case filed on behalf of Abu Zubaydah remains pending.