One of the most disturbing revelations in the Senate report on the Central Intelligence Agency's interrogation program was the deep complicity of psychologists and doctors in torturing suspected terrorists.
The ghastly new revelation is that two psychologists — James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen — who devised a list of coercive techniques to be used in questioning prisoners also personally conducted interrogations in which they tortured some CIA detainees.
The report also cites other health professionals who participated, including unidentified CIA medical officers or doctors who cleared prisoners for interrogation and played a central role in deciding whether to continue or adjust procedures when a prisoner developed severe medical problems.
Health care professionals who engaged in or abetted torture should have their professional licenses revoked and, depending on the degree of culpability, be prosecuted criminally. None of this seems likely for Mitchell or Jessen. (A complaint filed against Mitchell to revoke his license to practice failed.) The best we can hope for is that laying bare the record will deter future unethical behavior by health professionals.
