John Kiriakou, a former CIA officer and whistleblower, has stated that waterboarding was not the worst torture technique used on detainees after the September 11 attacks. In an interview with YouTube podcaster Theo Von, Kiriakou detailed methods such as sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation, and rectal feeding, which he described as more severe.
CIA Interrogation Tactics After 9/11
Kiriakou explained that no CIA officer was trained in interrogation techniques before the war on terror. One week after 9/11, the agency began apprehending Al-Qaeda operatives. He noted that the CIA manual predicted captives would feign pain and faint when asked their name—and that is what occurred. 'There were no rules. Everybody has something. It's called the mosaic concept. If you collect enough tiles you can put the whole picture together,' he said.
In Rawalpindi, Pakistan, a prison quickly filled with suspects. Kiriakou recalled asking a colleague, 'Do you wanna be the good cop today and I'll be the bad cop?' The first detainee, a Jordanian, arrived shackled at the feet. Kiriakou emphasized the importance of already knowing the answers to questions asked. The suspect told the truth, saying, 'I'm your prisoner, what good would it do me to lie?'
Worse Than Waterboarding
Kiriakou criticized the focus on waterboarding, stating, 'I think there were techniques that were way worse than waterboarding. Sleep deprivation is one. In terms of causing death.' He described sensory deprivation in an isolation tank: 'You're surrounded by water and you literally go crazy from the silence. You're in there for three weeks. It's complete silence and darkness—like you're dead.'
Another method was the cold cell: 'You strip the prisoner naked, you fix him to an i-bolt in the ceiling so he can't lay or sit, or get comfortable. The idea is to humiliate them—remember, in their religion, nakedness is shameful. And nakedness in front of a woman—and we would have women interrogate them just to humiliate them.'
Rectal feeding was also used: 'We would force tubes up their behinds and then with a pump, pumped hummus up there—just to insult their culture.' Kiriakou noted that two contract psychologists at the CIA devised these techniques, costing taxpayers $108 million. He added, 'If these guys are as bad as we say they are—charge them with a crime.'
Impact and Legal Aftermath
After the Pakistani facility reached capacity, detainees were transferred to Cuba. Kiriakou said, 'Then somebody in Dick Cheney's office said, 'You know what, these guys don't have any rights in Cuba', and now here we are.' An agreement during the Biden administration allowed three alleged 9/11 masterminds, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, to plead guilty in exchange for life sentences, but the Defense Secretary later overturned it. Kiriakou concluded, 'The CIA are responsible for not allowing the men to have the death penalty because they confessed everything, but it is all inadmissible.'
