WASHINGTON, April 22 (UPI) -- Former and current terror detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, say they were either drugged against their will or observed others being injected, papers say.
The Washington Post reported Tuesday at least two dozen detainees said they believed the injections were intended to coerce their confessions.
The Defense Department and the Central Intelligence Agency both say drugs were not used to enhance interrogations.
Government officials say the detained are either fabricating the accounts or have mistaken interpretations of routine medical treatment.
The newspaper reported that 2003 Justice Department papers recently emerged that condoned the use of drugs on detainees.
In its legal justification, then-government lawyer John C. Yoo said drugs could be used as long as they did not inflict permanent or "profound" psychological damage.
Critics, however, disagree with his determination.
"The use of drugs as a form of restraint of prisoners is both unlawful and unethical," said Leonard Rubenstein, an expert on medical ethics and the president of Physicians for Human Rights. "These allegations demand a full inquiry by Congress and the Department of Justice."
