CIA Torture Victim's Testimony in 9/11 Hearings at Gitmo Canceled

Defense team of the Guantanamo Bay's detainee announced on Thursday he would not testify about CIA's torture at the the facility.

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE (Sputnik), Joanne Stocker — Abu Zubaydah, a detainee at the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba, will not testify about torture at the facility’s notorious Camp 7, defense attorney James Harrington said during a pretrial hearing for the alleged September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks’ plotters.

US government prosecutor Ed Ryan told Judge James Pohl he intended to press Zubaydah on his alleged ties to the al-Qaeda terrorist group, but Zubaydah’s attorney Patrick Flor said he would object to any questioning that could be self-incriminating.

"I would suggest as an alternative is that we postpone this testimony until the next hearing, and when we come back we can brief the issue for the court," Harrington stated.

Judge Pohl said he did not believe he could grant Zubaydah immunity from prosecution if he made incriminating statements.

Earlier on Thursday, Somali-born detainee Guleed Hassan Dourad testified that Camp 7 detainees are subjected to daily mental torture inside their cells. Guleed described constant vibrations in the floor as well as foul smells and noises that sound like a hammer banging on a roof.

The defense team of another detainee, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, had requested Zubaydah also testify to establish that their client’s complaints were well-founded. Prosecutors have alleged that al-Shibh made up or imagined the vibrations.

According to a US Senate report on the CIA’s interrogation techniques, Zubaydah was subjected to mental and physical torture, including waterboarding. He lost his left eye while in CIA custody.

The US government has never charged Zubaydah with a crime. On Thursday, Harrington stated that Zubaydah denies having ties to the al-Qaeda terrorist group.