Video that a Canadian court opened into the public domain gives us our first glimpse into the psychological state of an imprisoned Guantanamo inmate. The video depicts the state of Omar Khadr, a Canadian boy who was captured by US forces in Afghanistan when he was just 15 years old. The video has surfaced because Khadr has been charged with killing a US Army specialist, and his Guantanamo lawyers have been prying open the story using the more open Canadian court system.
Click here to see Globe and Mail coverage.
In the first part of the video, when he feels the Canadian interrogator may be someone who has come to help, he is calmer. Then there is static and footage from the second day starts. A barely coherent and miserable man sobs uncontrollably, while the belligerent and patronizing interrogator tries to wrestle information from him in the "limited time" they have. He describes his horrific injuries and his lack of medical attention, and pleads to go back to Canada... while his interrogator smirks about the "nice weather" in Cuba.
UPDATE: Here's a shorter version of the same clip linked to above.
I've written about Khadr's ordeal in detail here.
UPDATE: More coverage below.
http://www.ctv.ca/...
"He's been portrayed as this 15-year-old bloodthirsty terrorist," Kuebler told CTV's Canada AM.
"What I take away from this video is that this is a frightened 16-year-old kid who is literally begging for help from Canadian authorities.
http://www.cbc.ca/...
"I'm not a doctor, but I think you're getting good medical care," the interrogator responds. As with all the agents in the video, his face is blacked out to protect his identity.
Khadr cries, "I lost my eyes. I lost my feet. Everything!" in reference to how the firefight in Afghanistan affected his vision.
http://www.thestar.com/ (more links to video, right on the Toronto Star's front page.)
Nightprowlkitty gives us the backstory.
David Kroning points us to Radio-Canada's excellent coverage, probably the most in-depth so far, which includes an image analysis by an expert. Radio Canada is Canada's French Language equivalent to the CBC, so you do need to understand French to see the site. (Or you can use Babelfish.) Updated: Regarding the interrogator, SunsetMagnolia gives us an improved summary of an interview with an expert.
The "security expert" who is interviewed in the Radio-Canada excerpt was NOT involved in any capacity the Khadr interrogation. He was not an "actual interegator".
He's just reacting to the release of the video, having seen it at the same time as the general public.
Here's the gist of what he says: yes, what we see in the released Khadr footage corresponds to the way interrogators work. Describes how, in these situations, the "full spectrum of emotion" is displayed, going from laughter to crying, from fear to rage. Says there is no torture (in the footage) evidenced by the tape (which is true). In response to the report stating that Khadr was subject to sleep deprivation: says that sleep deprivation is not accepted as an interrogation technique in Canada. Points out that the US tribunals themselves have denounced the techniques used in Guantanamo. With respect to the strategy of releasing those tapes: thinks it's a good idea as it will increase transparency, showing the "challenges" that interrogators face as well as insuring the process does not lead to abuses.
HuffPo Coverage.