Westlife and heavy metal used by CIA in Afghan torture

Tanzanian fisherman subject to Westlife and heavy metal on repeat by the CIA, documents harrowing American Civil Liberties report.

Ben Smith

Date published: 15th Oct 2015

Image: Westlife 

According to a civil liberties group, Westlife and heavy metal music were used in the torture of Suleiman Abdullah in Afghanistan. 

The newly wed reggae-loving fisherman known locally as 'Travolta' from Tanzania was subject to the treatment in which the report, Out Of Darkness explains, "His interrogators would intersperse a syrupy song called "My Love" with heavy metal, played on repeat at ear-spitting volume". 

In response Westlife's Kian Egan said, "If we're talking about [playing it] repeatedly, it probably only took about two hours to crack the poor guy with that one."

The report goes on to state, "It only stopped when a CD skipped or needed changing." And also, "they were only playing the love song especially for him."

After torturing Suleiman for more than a month, in which the CIA "deprived him of sleep", "doused him in cold water" and "beat him", Abdullah attempted to end his life before being transferred to another prison and then Bagram, a notorious Afghan prison.  

Eventually in 2008 he was released after being deemed he posed no threat to the United States.  His psychological scars, however, remain. 

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