Written answers

Tuesday, 14 December 2010

Department of Foreign Affairs

Human Rights Issues

10:00 am

Photo of Aengus Ó SnodaighAengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 200: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to reports that US military personnel have been using the drug mefloquine (Lariam) to psychologically torture or experiment with detainees in Guantánamo Bay detention centre, including a practice called pharmacologic waterboarding and the administration on arrival of a dose five times that recommended to tackle malaria; if he has raised this matter with the US Administration as being contrary to conventions on the treatment of prisoners or detainees or prisoners of war; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47290/10]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware that a number of blogs on the Internet have alleged recently that the US Department of Defence forced detainees at the Guantánamo Bay detention facility to take a high dosage of the anti-malarial drug, mefloquine, whether they presented with malarial symptoms or not. These remain unsubstantiated allegations and have not been raised with the US authorities.

Together with our EU partners, Ireland continues to encourage the US to bring about the closure of the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay in the shortest possible time and to treat those detained there in accordance with the requirements of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

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