JURIST - Hotline: Padilla and outrageous government conduct

Ben Davis [University of Toledo College of Law]: "Lawyers for Jose Padilla recently (October 4) filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida a Motion to Dismiss for Outrageous Government Conduct [PDF]. The motion recites, from the point of view of Jose Padilla, his detention at the US Navy Brig in Charleston, South Carolina. If the facts are as alleged, it describes a harrowing experience:

Mr. Padilla was threatened with being forcibly removed from the United States to another country, including U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he was threatened his fate would be even worse than in the Naval Brig. He was threatened with being cut with a knife and having alcohol poured on the wounds. He was also threatened with imminent execution. He was hooded and forced to stand in stress positions for long durations of time. He was forced to endure exceedingly long interrogation sessions, without adequate sleep, wherein he would be confronted with false information, scenarios, and documents to further disorient him. Often he had to endure multiple interrogators who would scream, shake, and otherwise assault Mr. Padilla. Additionally, Mr. Padilla was given drugs against his will, believed to be some form of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or phencyclidine (PCP), to act as a sort of truth serum during his interrogations."

An American citizen, treated like this in America, by the American government!