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= Guantanamo Bay Sleep Experiments =

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirects from Sleep Deprivation Torture)

The Guantanamo Bay Sleep Experiments were a series of experiments performed by U.S. scientists in the early 2000s at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base located in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. These trials were created to study the effects of experimental drugs designed to eliminate the need for sleep. This attracted the attention of top ranking U.S. Military officials, interested in a stimulant that would allow military personnel to stay awake and alert for days on end in combat situations.

The experiments were initially conceived when the Army began looking into stimulants to keep soldiers alert in drawn-out engagements. After eliminating common solutions such as caffeine and taurine, more extreme avenues were considered. These experiments were moved to the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in March of 2002, just months after the base was established, both to ensure secrecy and avoid any human right infractions on U.S. Citizens. Because of its remote location and steady supply of dangerous war criminals, Guantanamo Bay was considered the perfect candidate. Construction began immediately on a nondescript building in a corner of Camp X-Ray, a now-closed section of Guantanamo Bay Naval Camp, to house the experiments. Experimentation began in June of 2002, once the secret facility was completed.

Upon completion of the facilities prisoners were randomly selected from the camp's prisoner population as test subjects for the experimental stimulants. Trials began relatively mild; subjects were given small doses of the experimental drugs and allowed back into the general prison population to be observed, but the results did not meet the expectations of the researchers. As trials progressed the scientists came to the realization that a stronger, sustained dose was the solution. A special air-tight dormitory was created for the prisoner test subjects, with equipment that dispersed the experimental drug into the air to administer regular doses throughout the day. Five subjects were moved into this dormitory with the promise of freedom if they could remain awake for 30 days straight. The scientists were elated at the results of the first week of testing: the subjects remained awake and alert, showing minimal symptoms of sleep deprivation. Although the subjects passed the mental and physical tests, they complained of a strange tingling sensation in their heads and chests. Over the next several days the subjects became increasingly withdrawn, refusing to interact with each other. On the 16th day of the experiment the subjects began silently tearing apart any fabric found in the dorm; including their own clothes and bedding. Without a word of communication to each other they used feces to plaster the fabric over cameras and windows. The intent seemed to be to close off any portal to the outside world. The scientists had lost all visual contact with the prisoners, but continued the experiment by attempting to track the subject's behavior via microphones. Two days after losing visual contact, the screaming began. First one prisoner was heard moaning, which quickly escalated to a scream. The other prisoners followed suit, until all five were screaming at the top of their lungs. The screaming lasted for days without ceasing, and the researchers became increasingly alarmed. 32 hours after the screaming began all five prisoners fell silent at the same moment. Concerned that the audio recording system might have been malfunctioning in some way, the researchers decided to send in a crew to check the microphones and repair the obstructed cameras. The researchers addressed the subjects over the intercom for the first time, "We are opening the door in one hour to perform maintenance on the dormitory; lie face-down in your bunks or you will be shot. If you comply, one of you will be freed and sent home." The researchers were surprised at the immediate response from one of the subjects, whispered quietly into one of the hidden microphones in the dorm: "Do not disturb us. We do not want freedom. We are home." After reporting this response, the command was given to end the experiments on the 23rd day. The researchers stopped flow of the experimental drug into the dorm and began cycling fresh air to flush the system. Somehow noticing the absence of the stimulant, the subjects began resumed screaming. However, these screams sounded much weaker and desperate than before. Once the room was completely flushed of stimulant the door was unsealed and the researchers entered under protection of a team of soldiers, as it was suggested that the prisoners could be violent as a result of the drug withdrawals. They were not prepared for what awaited them. The lights had all been destroyed; some lied shattered on the floor while others dangled by wires from the ceiling. Several inches of water had collected on the floor, tinged red with blood, and sheet of human skin was found covering the drain. Feces was still smeared over the windows and cameras, causing an astonishing stench. One subject was found dead, curled in the fetal position with his heart very crudely removed, as if done by hand. Of the surviving four subjects one was found standing on top of a chair slapping his head repeatedly. His eyelids had been torn off and his eyes seemed to weep blood. Upon seeing the researchers he began begging them to turn the stimulant gas back on. The other three were found in various states of exhaustion, lying on the floor or in bunks. All three had multiple self-inflicted wounds and one had disemboweled himself and was surrounded by his internal organs. His heart was visible through an opening in his chest, pumping irregularly. The subjects were quickly transported to the medical facilities, but two subjects died as they were moved. Once stable, the researchers interviewed the two remaining subjects to understand what happened. One subject seemed completely unaware of his surroundings, completely ignoring any questions or stimuli. The subject who had removed his eyelids became increasingly distressed, pleading with the researchers not to let him fall asleep. When asked why he didn't want to sleep the subject became eerily calm and an evil smile spread across his face as he replied, "We are the darkness that resides deep in your subconscious. We are the devil that you repress into silence every night when you sleep, wishing we could be free. We are the truth that you hide from in your bed. We are you."

The sleep experiment program was shut down immediately after the failed trials. In response, the military began enforcing strict sleep policies, ensuring that personnel would never be sleep deprived. Camp X-ray was closed, and evidence of the sleep experiments was destroyed. All records of the two remaining subjects were destroyed, meaning they were either killed or imprisoned elsewhere under falsified identification.