Musicians decry use of songs as torture

The list of bands whose music is used to torture prisoners in Guantanamo Bay reads like a grim roll call of American pop culture, the Guardian writes. Metallica, Britney Spears and even the Sesame Street theme tune have all been blasted into cells at Camp X-Ray, with the intention of traumatizing and destabilizing its inhabitants. Musicians decry use of songs as torture But a new anti-torture initiative called Zero dB is hoping to bring an end to the technique by gathering the support of musicians whose songs are used in controversial interrogation techniques by US forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. Reprieve, the human rights charity that provides legal representation for inmates at Guatanamo Bay, is behind the campaign. "In the long-term, we hope raising awareness of this issue will pressurize the United Nations and the British government to uphold the treaties that ban the use of torture," said Reprieve's press officer Alex Grace. "But we also hope that the campaign will attract the attention of high-profile musicians who are willing to speak out against this incredibly horrible form of no-touch psychological torture." The Associated Press lists Metallica, AC/DC, Britney Spears, Aerosmith and British singer-songwriter David Gray as among those whose songs are "blasted" at detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. Reprieve filmed former Guantanamo Bay detainee Ruhal Ahmed describing his experience of torture music. "I experienced it (being played music) on many occasions. I can bear being beaten up, it's not a problem. Once you accept that you're going to go into the interrogation room and be beaten up, it's fine. You can prepare yourself mentally. But when you're being psychologically tortured, you can't." He describes being shackled in a squatting position for anything from half and hour to a day. "Later on, from the end of 2003, they introduced the music and it became even worse. Before that, you could try and focus on something else. It makes you feel like you're going mad, it's very scary. After a while you don't hear the lyrics, you only hear heavy banging." Binyam Mohamed, who sought asylum in the UK after fleeing Ethiopia in 1994, was detained in Pakistan on suspicion of terrorism and later transported to Guatanamo Bay. "It was pitch black, no lights on in the rooms for most of the time ... They hung me up. I was allowed a few hours of sleep on the second day, then hung up again, this time for two days," he says of his experiences at Gitmo. "My legs had swollen. My wrists and hands had gone numb ... There was loud music, Eminem's Slim Shady and Dr. Dre for 20 days ..." Mohamed is still being detained by U.S. forces in Guantanamo Bay. However, the campaign may prove unnecessary from January 2009. During his election campaign earlier this year, president-elect Barack Obama referred to Guantanamo. Bay as "a sad chapter in American History" and has since vowed to close the detention center.

Musicians decry use of songs as torture

But a new anti-torture initiative called Zero dB is hoping to bring an end to the technique by gathering the support of musicians whose songs are used in controversial interrogation techniques by US forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay.

Reprieve, the human rights charity that provides legal representation for inmates at Guatanamo Bay, is behind the campaign.

"In the long-term, we hope raising awareness of this issue will pressurize the United Nations and the British government to uphold the treaties that ban the use of torture," said Reprieve's press officer Alex Grace.

"But we also hope that the campaign will attract the attention of high-profile musicians who are willing to speak out against this incredibly horrible form of no-touch psychological torture."

The Associated Press lists Metallica, AC/DC, Britney Spears, Aerosmith and British singer-songwriter David Gray as among those whose songs are "blasted" at detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay.

Reprieve filmed former Guantanamo Bay detainee Ruhal Ahmed describing his experience of torture music. "I experienced it (being played music) on many occasions. I can bear being beaten up, it's not a problem. Once you accept that you're going to go into the interrogation room and be beaten up, it's fine. You can prepare yourself mentally. But when you're being psychologically tortured, you can't."

He describes being shackled in a squatting position for anything from half and hour to a day. "Later on, from the end of 2003, they introduced the music and it became even worse. Before that, you could try and focus on something else. It makes you feel like you're going mad, it's very scary. After a while you don't hear the lyrics, you only hear heavy banging."

Binyam Mohamed, who sought asylum in the UK after fleeing Ethiopia in 1994, was detained in Pakistan on suspicion of terrorism and later transported to Guatanamo Bay. "It was pitch black, no lights on in the rooms for most of the time ... They hung me up. I was allowed a few hours of sleep on the second day, then hung up again, this time for two days," he says of his experiences at Gitmo. "My legs had swollen. My wrists and hands had gone numb ... There was loud music, Eminem's Slim Shady and Dr. Dre for 20 days ..." Mohamed is still being detained by U.S. forces in Guantanamo Bay.

However, the campaign may prove unnecessary from January 2009. During his election campaign earlier this year, president-elect Barack Obama referred to Guantanamo. Bay as "a sad chapter in American History" and has since vowed to close the detention center.