TV SHOWS TEACH TORTURE, SAYS EX-ARMY INTERROGATOR

A former U.S. military interrogator in Iraq has admitted that he and his colleagues were encouraged to mimic torture techniques that they had seen in movies and TV shows -- particularly Fox's 24. In an interview with Newsweek.com, former U.S. Army Specialist Tony Lagouranis said that he was told by his superiors in Iraq "that the Geneva Conventions didn't apply any more. So our training was obsolete, and we were encouraged to be creative. We turned to television and movies to look for ways of interrogating." Lagouranis said that he eventually learned that the torture techniques enacted on 24 are not effective for gaining intelligence "and his success rate isn't lifelike at all. [Plus] the tactics he uses are completely illegal, under U.S. and international law." Lagouranis also told the magazine that he had recently met with the producers of 24 to discuss the issue. "I can't fault them because they're creating art, and the military is responsible for training. But we were simply asking them to think responsibly about what they're doing, and perhaps try to portray this a little bit more realistically."

28/02/2007