The Guantanamo way

There was confusion last month over whether or not Larry James - the army psychologist who, it is alleged, failed to intervene to prevent abuses at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib - had been appointed to a White House task force called 'Enhancing the Psychological Well-Being of The Military Family'. It was reported in March that James, now based at Wright State University, claimed in a recent e-mail circular that he'd been appointed by Michelle Obama to the task force and would be meeting with her and others at the White House. According to the respected online magazine Salon, however, the White House made contact to deny that James had been appointed, and to clarify that he would not be attending the White House meeting.

In a related development in April, a New York court heard the case against another army psychologist, Dr John Leso, who stands accused of designing abusive interrogation techniques used at Guantanamo. The case arrived at the court at the request of the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Centre for Justice and Accountability, after the New York State Office of Professional Discipline chose not to investigate the complaints made against Leso, stating that incidents at Guantanamo were beyond its remit. As we went to press, the judge Saliann Scarpulla had yet to rule. The Wall Street Journal reported that she empathised with the human rights advocates but also quoted her as saying she was unsure 'the judicial process is the right way to do this'