Dear Colleagues,
I want to thank Chris for bringing this article to the attention of the
list. There are four issues that I think are important to briefly
address related to the article and I hope that those who are on APA
Council will pay particular attention to the third issue as this may
come to a vote in August. I'll enumerate the four issues so that folks
can select the items they want to read.
1. The issue of torture in relation to APA
2. The issue of ethics and interrogations as it relation to Convention
programming
3. A call for a moratorium on psychologist involvement in interrogations
at centers for foreign detainees or "enemy combatants" as defined under
the Military Commissions Act of 2006.
4. Some misinformation in Dr. Soldz's article.
1. APA approved at the Council meeting in 2006 a strong Resolution
Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment.
The 2006 Resolution unambiguously condemns the use of torture and other
CIDTP, unambiguously prohibits psychologists involvement, either
directly or indirectly, in torture and other cruel, inhuman, or
degrading treatment or punishment (CIDTP), and highlight that these
general principles apply to all psychologists, in all roles, and in all
places, now and in the future, with absolutely no exceptions.
The text of the Resolution
(http://www.webster.edu/peacepsychology/2006ResolutionTorture.html) can
be found along with the Justification Statement
(http://www.webster.edu/peacepsychology/ResolJustificationStatement.html
)and a Frequently Asked Question page
(http://www.webster.edu/peacepsychology/ResolutionQuestions.html)on the
Division 48 (Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence
webpage.
2. Ethics and Interrogations.
The Divisions for Social Justice and other groups (e.g., the Ethics
Office) have put together a "mini-convention" within the Convention this
August on the issue entitled, "Ethics and Interrogations: Confronting
the Challenge." When the schedule is finalized, it will be placed on
the Division 48 website - http://www.peacepsych.org. It is currently
under revision as some of us seem to be scheduled to be at two places at
one time. I've pasted a preliminary brief schedule below.
3. Call for a Moratorium
The information presented in the Dr. Soldz's article in relation to the
Moratorium is important information. Many Divisions, particularly those
within the Divisions for Social Justice are working on these issues.
Division 48 has been actively involved in these discussion and the
Executive Committee has issued a Call for a Moratorium. Here is the
message I sent to our membership (one need not be a member of APA to
join the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence):
The Executive Committee of the Society for the Study of Peace,
Conflict, and Violence: Peace Psychology Division 48 of the APA
(American Psychological Association) has approved a statement
calling on the APA to adopt a Moratorium Resolution on
Psychologist's Involvement* in Interrogations at US Detention
Centers for Foreign Detainees and Individuals Identified as "Enemy
Combatants" under the Military Commissions Act of 2006.
http://www.webster.edu/peacepsychology/2007Moratorium/MoratoriumStatement07.html
Background Information
Last summer at the Annual Convention, the APA passed the 2006
Resolution Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment. Corann Okorodudu and Judy Van Hoorn,
Council Representatives from Division 48 (The Society for the Study
of Peace, Conflict and Violence: Peace Division of APA) were the
primary movers of this Resolution, which was supported by the
Divisions for Social Justice and ultimately co-sponsored by many
Council Representatives from across a range of Divisions. The 2006
Resolution was written to affirm APA's commitment to human rights
protections; to affirm the centrality of UN and other human rights
documents in APA policy; to reflect APA's status as a UN NGO; to
unambiguously condemn the use of torture and other cruel, inhuman,
or degrading treatment or punishment (CIDTP); to unambiguously
prohibit psychologists involvement, either directly or indirectly,
in torture and other CIDTP; and, to highlight that these general
principles apply to all psychologists, in all roles, and in all
places, now and in the future, with absolutely no exceptions.
This important Resolution reflected the work of so many individuals
within the Society but we also knew that our work was not complete.
The 2006 Resolution was designed to be a general human rights
resolution against torture and other CIDTP. We knew that if we cited
specific instances of suspected torture, this would negate the value
of the Resolution for those instances of torture not listed. We did
not want to further disenfranchise and delegitimize those who are
tortured around the globe both in the U.S. and elsewhere by failure
to include their specific cases. Therefore, this Resolution did not
specifically address the use of torture and other CIDTP at detention
centers for individuals identified as "enemy combatants."
Following the 2006 Convention in New Orleans, work began by Neil
Altman (Div. 39) and the Divisions for Social Justice on the
development of a proposed APA Moratorium Resolution specifically
addressing the involvement of psychologists in interrogations at
Guantanamo Bay and other detention centers for "enemy combatants."
The need for such a resolution became urgent following the passage
of the Military Commission Act of 2006 last October. This Act
severely threatens the already diminished human rights status of
detainees at U.S. detention centers for individuals identified as
"enemy combatants."
To support these efforts, the Executive Committee of the Society for
the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence has approved and issued
the "Call for an APA Moratorium Resolution." To read the full text
of the "Call for an APA Moratorium" or the 2006 APA Resolution
Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment, go to our Society's website at http://www.peacepsych.org
. Scroll down the right side of the page to Torture and Terrorism
Resources. Or, to view just the "Call for an APA Moratorium," go to
http://www.webster.edu/peacepsychology/2007Moratorium/MoratoriumStatement07.html
.
4. Misinformation - the comparison between the APA positions and that of
the AMA and the American Psychiatric Association.
I don't think we do anyone, particularly the prisoners, any good by
lauding problematic positions held by other professional organizations.
While both the AMA and the American Psychiatric Association have drafted
positions against direct involvement in interrogations (which is a good
thing), they have left open a world of indirect participation in
interrogations (e.g., advising, training, etc.). Moreover, they have
left open the use of drugs with prisoners for non-health care reasons as
well as physician involvement in destructive practices such as forced
feeding. Additionally, while physicians have been told not to
participate, they have also been told that there will be no
ramifications if they still directly participate in interrogations. In
other words, the policies are more press release than actual policy.
These are the most salient problems with their positions.
I don't think we are in any position to point fingers at other
professional organizations until our house is clean. However, I think
we do a disservice to human rights when we laud positions that are at
best still on the destructive end of the continuum.
Please feel free to contact with me with any questions you have about
this issue or any of the above issues.
Best wishes,
Linda
--
Linda M. Woolf, Ph.D.
Past-President, Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, & Violence
(Div. 48, APA)
Professor of Psychology and International Human Rights
Coordinator - Holocaust & Genocide Studies,
Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights
Webster University
Main Webpage: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Ethics and Interrogations: Confronting the Challenge
Session 1: What are Psychologists doing in U.S. Military Detention Centers?
[Chair: Steve Sellman; Friday 8-9:50am, Moscone Center room 3016]
Session 2: What Does the Research on Interrogations Tell Us?
[Chair: Brad Olson; Friday 10-11:50am, Moscone Center room 3016]
Session 3: What is the Evolution of APA policy on Ethics and Interrogation?
[Chair: Bernice Lott; Friday 2-3:50pm, Moscone Center room 3014]
Session 4: How do Human Rights and Laws Apply to Detention Centers?
[Chair: Neil Altman; Saturday 2-3:50pm, Moscone Center room 3014]
Session 5: What are the Impacts of Ethnicity, Language, and Identity on
Interrogations?
[Chair: Rhoda Unger; Sunday 12-1:50pm, Moscone Center room 3014]
Session 6: What are the Effects of Psychological Torture and Abuse?
[Chair: Linda Woolf; Sunday 2-3:50pm, Moscone Center room 3014]
Town Hall Meeting: Review and Future Directions
[Chairs: Doug Haldeman and Olivia Moorehead-Slaughter; Sunday 5-6:50pm,
Hilton Hotel, Plaza Room A]
Session 7: What Ethical Dilemmas do Psychologists Working in Detention
Centers Face?
[Chair: Scott Allen; Monday 10-11:50am, Moscone Center room 3009]
Session 8: What challenges and complexities does providing treatment to
detainees entail?
[Chair: Ibrahim Kira; Monday 12-1:50pm, Moscone Center room 3009]
* The Executive Committee of the Society for the Study of Peace,
Conflict, and Violence wants it to be clear that this Call for a
Moratorium is not intended as an indictment of psychologists currently
working within military settings. Rather, this Call for a Moratorium is
an expression of concern for the well-being of prisoners at U.S.
Detention Centers for foreign detainees identified as "enemy combatants"
under the Military Commissions Act of 2006 and also the well-being of
psychologists in such settings. The Call for an APA Moratorium is
furthermore, and most importantly, based on the reality that the setting
alone is one defined by the UN Human Rights Council, the United States
Reservation I.1 of the Reservations, Declarations and Understandings to
the United Nations Convention Against Torture, and the 2006 APA
Resolution Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment as "cruel, inhuman, or degrading."
---
To make changes to your subscription go to:
http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english
