Mohamed Ahmed Ben Soud
Mohamed Ahmed Ben Soud | |
|---|---|
| Born | Libya or Tanzania (sources differ) |
| Occupation(s) | Detainee, torture victim |
| Known for | Being held and tortured in CIA covert detention facilities; plaintiff in lawsuit against CIA psychologists |
Mohamed Ahmed Ben Soud was held and subjected to torture within the CIA's covert detention facilities.[1][2][3][4]
According to Reuters, Ben Soud is a Tanzanian who was abducted by the CIA in Somalia in 2003.[1] Conversely, The New York Times describes him as a Libyan who escaped from Libya to Pakistan, where he was captured.[5] In 2004, the CIA returned him to Libya, where he remained incarcerated until the collapse of the Muammar Gaddafi administration in 2011. Despite Libya’s notorious conditions, Ben Soud reported receiving comparatively better treatment there than during his detention by U.S. authorities.
After the Senate Intelligence Committee released its report on CIA interrogation practices, the National Journal identified seventeen detainees who were tortured without official approval, including Ben Soud.[6] Although his foot was fractured while in custody, interrogators persisted with physical mistreatment, aggravating the injury. Medical evaluations determined he would endure chronic arthritis and restricted mobility as a result.
Ben Soud was one of three plaintiffs who filed suit against psychologists Bruce Jessen and James Elmer Mitchell, who had been paid $75 million by the CIA to design interrogation methods.[2][3][7] On July 28, 2017, U.S. District Judge Justin Lowe Quackenbush declined to grant summary judgment for either party, citing government indemnification of the defendants and recommending settlement discussions prior to trial.[8]
On October 9, 2016, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Matt Apuzzo, Sheri Fink, and James Risen authored a front-page article in The New York Times titled "How U.S. Torture Left a Legacy of Damaged Minds," which included Ben Soud’s personal narrative of torture.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedReuters2016-04-22 - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedTheGuardian2017-02-15 - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedLawnewz2016-04-22 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedMcClatchy2015-10-13 - ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedNYtimes2016-10-09 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedNationalJournal2014-12-10 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedViceNews2015-10-13 - ↑ Fink, Sheri (29 July 2017). "2 Psychologists in C.I.A. Interrogations Can Face Trial, Judge Rules". The New York Times. p. A18. Retrieved 29 July 2017.