Medical records used in Guantanamo interrogations News
Medical records used in Guantanamo interrogations

[JURIST] Military interrogators at Guantanamo [JURIST news archive] had access to detainees' medical records until early 2003 and possibly later, and exploited information from the records during questioning, according to a new article in the New England Journal of Medicine [PDF full text]. The authors, Gregg Bloche of Georgetown University law school and Jonathan Marksof of London's Matrix Chambers, known for its human rights work, cite a policy statement from US Southern Command that such information is not privileged and that caregivers are required to provide information upon request. Such policies are not in effect at other US prisons, either civilian or military. Additional Protocol 1 of the Geneva Conventions also provides that medical personnel "shall not be compelled to perform acts or to carry out work contrary to the rules of medical ethics." AFP has more.