Maryknoll joins other religious groups in call for investigation of alleged medical experiments on detainees
August 9, 2010

The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, on behalf of Maryknoll missioners, joined with 19 other religious organizations in endorsing a call to Congress and President Obama to ensure a thorough investigation into allegations that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) engaged in illegal and unethical human subject research and experimentation on detainees after September 11, 2001, and to make the findings public. The allegations were contained in a report released last month by the Physicians for Human Rights (PHR).

This effort by the religious groups was led by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT).

This action follows a recent decision by the Office of Human Research Protection (OHRP) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to decline to investigate the original complaint filed by PHR, NRCAT, 20 religious organizations and various human rights organizations. Instead it referred the complaint to the CIA.  

The complaint to OHRP was filed two days after PHR released its report detailing health professionals’ involvement in the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation program.”  Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Health, informed the complainants that the CIA’s “alleged research activities … appear to be subject to the oversight of the CIA” and that the complaint had thus been forwarded to the CIA “for review.”

Since the CIA is the agency to be investigated, the religious organizations are calling on President Obama to ensure an independent, thorough, and open investigation and calling on the House and Senate Intelligence Committees to do the same. Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Diane Feinstein (D-CA) has already committed to include the allegations of human experimentation in her investigation into the use of torture by the CIA; the religious organizations are calling on Sen. Feinstein to make sure the committee's findings and recommendations are made public.

Read the press release from NRCAT, which includes the list of the 20 endorsing organizations. (PDF)