CANADA
19 April 2009
President Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR
American Nurses Association
8515 Georgia Avenue Suite 400
Silver Spring MD USA 20910
Dear Rebecca M. Patton,
On December 15, 2004 I wrote the ANA regarding concerns about the possibility of nurses being involved in torture and or cruel inhumane treatment of detainees during US custody in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay.
As you may recall the ANA wrote Secretary Rumsfeld February 3, 2005 about possible nurses involvement in abuse in US detention and interrogation facilities, and received a reply from Major General Gale S. Pollack on February 24, 2005. The Major General explained to the ANA that the Nurses Corps had not been involved and that any wrong-doing would be aggressively followed-up. She limited her comments to Iraq.
Subsequently we have learned that torture and abuse has been more common than previously noted. Please refer to documents;
1) US Department of Justice. Office of Legal Counsel. Washington D.C. 20530. August 1 2002. Memorandum for John Rizzo. Acting General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency. Interrogation of Al Quaeda Operative. pp. 1 – 80.
2) International Committee of the Red Cross. ICRC Report on the Treatment of Fourteen “High Value Detainees” in CIA Custody. Washington D.C. February 14 2007. http://www.nybooks.com/icrc-report.pdf accessed April 19 2009
As you may realize involvement by nurses in torture or abuse could include direct monitoring of prisoners during abusive interrogations or awareness of unethical treatment and failure to report to appropriate bodies. Involvement also refers to higher ranking nurses. If officers are aware of policies that approve torture or abusive treatment as well as policies that require the involvement of health personnel I submit that there could also be culpability.
May I turn your attention to the time-line of the correspondence I refer too; I note that Major General Pollack's letter (February 24, 2005) to the ANA was written over two years after the US Department of Justice submitted the memo (August 1 2002) approving torture and ill-treatment. Moreover the ICRC obtained access to fourteen prisoners at Guantanamo October and December 2006. The ICRC documents abuse on prisoners captured during 2002 to 2005. Both publications, one policy and the other testimony, illustrate that health personnel had a role in the torture and abusive treatment.
In light of this new information I propose the following more active strategy by the ANA independent of the American Military:
Investigate nurses’ direct involvement in torture, and or abusive treatment, by the American Military – following-up on nurses who were involved.
Review which military nurses, including high ranking nurses, knew about the abuse, or policy condoning abuse - ensure adequate penalties for not reporting violations and not intervening to stop violations;
Clarify the human rights training and support of military nurses – correct a lack of training and support.
Urge other health professionals to participate in the above review.
I would also like to recommend an international conference sponsored by the ANA about this issue. I recommend seeking funding from a number of American and international foundations for this initiative.
Thank you for your attention with this matter.
With best wishes,
Ken Agar-Newman
cc:
American Journal of Nursing
Canadian Nurses Association
Victoria Coalition for the Survivors of Torture
International Council of Nurses
Danish Nurses Organization
Amnesty International ( health network)
Physicians for Human Rights (Boston)
National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs (USA)
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