The menticide of Jose PadillaDemocracy Now!
has a fascinating interview with a psychiatrist who interviewed suspected terrorist Jose Padilla for over 22 hours in an attempt to determine whether he was fit to stand trial after more than 3 years of solitary confinement.
![](http://i4.democracynow.org/images/story/41/3241/padillaHegarty.jpg)
In 1951, psychiatrist Joost Meerloo coined the term "menticide" to describe the kind of systematic psychological violence that the Chinese inflicted upon American POWs during the Korean War. The basic techniques haven't changed much since then. Over the years, these tactics have been embraced by a variety of cults and coercive "treatment" programs in the United States and abroad.
Today, the US government insists that mind-killing is an essential part of their endless war on terrorism. For details, see Jane Mayer's excellent New Yorker piece,
The Black Sites..
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-welsh/jose-padilla-nee-winston_b_60941.htmlhttp://cannonfire.blogspot.com/2007/08/quick-note-on-padilla.html