THE GUANTANAMO GUIDEBOOK Possibly the most controversial current affairs film of 2004.

The Observer
"Brilliant and Disturbing".
"This was important TV, impeccably executed, to the point where I would have appreciated it if someone from the FBI had popped round to check my blood pressure while the credits rolled".

The Guardian
"The Guantanamo Guidebook turns out to be an impeccable exercise in liberal journalism: its revelatory intentions are more serious than many TV news bulletins".

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According to George W Bush "torture is never acceptable" - but does he practice what he preaches?

Do the interrogation techniques used in Guantanamo Bay amount to torture? Are they a violation of international treaties, as Human Rights Organisations like Amnesty International insist? Or are they legitimate tools to use in the post 9/11 world as the Bush Administration maintains?

This extraordinary film recruited 7 young, physically fit British men - 3 of them Muslims - to 'experience' 48 hours in Guantanamo Bay. We reconstructed the cages, dressed them in orange jump suits and hired former US military interrogators who had served in Vietnam and the Middle East to interrogate them.

Throughout the 48 hours they were only subjected to the officially sanctioned techniques, known as 'torture lite' used in Camp Delta.

These techniques included enforced stress positions, sleep deprivation - euphemistically described as 'sleep adjustment' by Donald Rumsfeld - and sensory deprivation. This meant being shackled hand and foot, kept naked for hours on end in low temperatures whilst subjected to white noise through ear phones.

The results were truly shocking. The volunteers could leave at any time, yet one man wet himself, while another vomited under the pressure. One volunteer was pulled out for medical reasons suffering from hypothermia. All of them suffered mental and physical torment.

Despite having previously supported the use of 'torture lite', several volunteers said they would have admitted to anything to please their interrogators.

Watch this film. It will make you think about what some governments are either doing - or condoning - in the name of democracy.

BACK TO PRODUCTION LIST
Year of Production 2004

Broadcaster
Channel 4

Running Time
60 mins

Number of Episodes
1

Executive Producer
Claudia Milne

Contact Info

020 7284 2020

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