The Daily Swarm

The human rights group Reprieve is organizing a campaign called Stop The Music Torture aimed at ending the American interrogation practice of blasting music at detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. According to an article in today’s Guardian, music by such artists as Metallica, Britney Spears, David Gray, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Aerosmith, AC/DC, as well as music from kids shows like Barney and Sesame Street, is being used in the practice.

The article quoted Barney theme song composer Bob Singleton who wrote in the L.A. Times that, “It is absolutely ludicrous a song that was designed to make little children feel safe and loved was somehow going to threaten the mental state of adults and drive them to the emotional breaking point.”

But according to victims of the torture it does:

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.”

Full Story Here…