Columbia University Medical Center, USA; Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, USA; Committee on Global Thought, Columbia University, USA.
Int J Law Psychiatry. 2021 May-Jun;76:101682. doi: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2021.101682. Epub 2021 Mar 16.
This article analyzes the ruling in al-Qahtani v. Trump which establishes a new legal mechanism for Guantanamo detainees being held in indefinite detention to receive independent psychiatric evaluations from mixed medical commissions in order to determine eligibility for repatriation on humanitarian grounds. The article first reviews how the U.S. government created a legal framework for Global War on Terror detainees that differs from established conventions under international humanitarian law to protect prisoners of war. It discusses the circumstances of a Guantanamo detainee named Mohammed al-Qahtani who was tortured in U.S. custody, according to Guantanamo's top official. The U.S. government has declined to refer legal charges against him but also refused to release him since he has been considered a threat to U.S. national security. The article analyzes how al-Qahtani's attorneys challenged the legality of his detention and referred to an independent psychiatric evaluation played to establish the legal basis for "irreparable harm." al-Qahtani's independent psychiatric evaluation asserted that he displayed symptoms consistent with those exhibited by survivors of torture. Legally, the ruling establishes a precedent for Guantanamo detainees who are being held in indefinite detention to compel the U.S. government to clarify their legal status or arrange an examination by a mixed medical commission. Twenty-two other detainees out of the forty still at Guantanamo fall in this legal category, so the precedent has far-reaching consequences. Finally, the prospect of mixed medical commissions composed of international experts who are collaborating to render a medical opinion raises questions about how independent psychiatric evaluations would be conducted in practice.
本文分析了 al-Qahtani v. Trump 一案的裁决，该案为关塔那摩囚犯确立了一种新的法律机制，允许他们通过混合医疗委员会接受独立的精神病评估，以确定是否有资格基于人道主义理由被遣返。本文首先回顾了美国政府如何为全球反恐战争的囚犯创建了一个有别于国际人道法所规定的公约的法律框架，以保护战俘。文章讨论了关塔那摩的一名囚犯 Mohammed al-Qahtani 的情况，据关塔那摩的最高官员称，他在美国关押期间遭受了酷刑。美国政府拒绝对他提起法律指控，但也拒绝释放他，因为他被认为对美国国家安全构成威胁。本文分析了 al-Qahtani 的律师如何质疑他被拘留的合法性，并提到了独立的精神病评估，以确立“不可挽回的伤害”的法律依据。al-Qahtani 的独立精神病评估断言他表现出与酷刑幸存者一致的症状。从法律上讲，该裁决为关塔那摩被无限期拘留的囚犯确立了一个先例，迫使美国政府澄清他们的法律地位或安排由混合医疗委员会进行检查。在仍被关押在关塔那摩的 40 名囚犯中，有 22 人属于这一法律类别，因此这一先例具有深远的影响。最后，由国际专家组成的混合医疗委员会合作提供医疗意见的前景引发了关于在实践中如何进行独立精神病评估的问题。
