MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A 30-year Chicago police veteran involved in at least one wrongful conviction lawsuit exported his interrogation techniques to the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, the Guardian's investigative piece found on Wednesday.
Detective-turned-Lieutenant Richard Zuley took charge of Mohamdeou Ould Slahi's interrogation at the notorious camp in 2003, where the detainee was subjected to torture practices similar to those used during Zuley's tenure in Chicago.
According to his memoir detailed by the Guardian last month, Slahi was shackled for extensive periods of time, had his family threatened and was coerced into signing a false confession.
"Cruel treatment like Slahi experienced meets the definition of cruel inhumane and degrading treatment or punishment," former Marine lieutenant colonel and military commissions prosecutor Stuart Couch was quoted as saying.
Back in Chicago, four current and former convicted prisoners accuse Zuley of similar tactics, including handcuffing them for hours and forcing confessions for crimes they did not commit.
According to the publication, the same state attorney that dismissed all charges against Boyd two years ago has reportedly agreed to review civilian complaints against former detective Zuley.
"They just tortured me, mentally, and somewhat physically, with the cuffs, and screamed and hollered," another of Zuley's victims, Benita Johnson, recalled her story to the Guardian.
Johnson is currently serving a 60-year sentence after being chained to the wall for more than 24 hours and eventually signing a confession. Her ex-boyfriend, Andre Griggs, signed a similar confession after being shackled for "29, maybe 30 hours" and is currently serving a life sentence.
Zuley, currently employed at the Chicago department of aviation, refused to answer the newspaper's request to take part in the publication's investigation.
Guantanamo has gained notoriety over the past decade for cruel and inhumane confinement conditions and well-documented use of torture in the camp.
Despite US President Barack Obama's longtime pledge to shut down the "sad chapter in American history," the detention facility still operates at half-capacity with 130 detainees left in Guantanamo.
