(Article changed on February 24, 2014 at 06:43)
The Ethics Office of the American Psychological Association recently closed a longstanding ethics complaint against Dr. John Leso without taking any disciplinary action -- despite extensive documentation of his involvement in cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment at Guantanamo. I offer my perspective on the APA's position in the cartoon below. A larger version is also available online here:
www.ethicalpsychology.org/leso
Thus far APA's stance has prompted many individual expressions of outrage and concern, as well as detailed statements from at least three groups -- Psychologists for Social Responsibility, the Coalition for an Ethical Psychology, and APA's own Division 39 (I am a member of the first two organizations).
APA's governing body, its Council of Representatives, has the authority to review the actions of the Ethics Office -- if it so chooses. Answers are needed to important questions about the procedures and priorities that produced this disturbing precedent-setting decision in the Leso case.
Click HERE for larger version.
