Qaeda Suspect Claims CIA Tortured Him After Capture
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
WASHINGTON — A Pakistani terrorism suspect denied any connection to Al Qaeda and said he was tortured and his family was hounded by American authorities, according to a transcript released yesterday by the Pentagon.
Majid Khan, in a lengthy written statement, said the CIA and the Defense Department tortured him after his capture in Pakistan as well as when he was transferred to the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
“I swear to God this place in some sense worst than CIA jails. I am being mentally torture here,” said Mr. Khan in a statement read by his personal representative about his time in Guantanamo. “There is extensive torture even for the smallest of infractions.”
Mr. Khan, who grew up in Maryland and is the only U.S. resident among 15 detainees the government considers most dangerous, also described suicide attempts where he “chewed my artery which goes through my elbow.” And he said he went on hunger strikes to pressure authorities to either charge him or send him back to Pakistan.
The CIA and Pentagon have said their interrogation practices are legal and that they do not use torture.
