Guantanamo Bay prisoners' torture by loud music enrages musicians

London, Dec 11 (ANI): The news that prisoners in the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp are being tortured by loud music being played over loudspeakers has enraged musicians and human rights groups.

Recent reports suggested that the prisoners were being made to listen to the songs 'Baby One More Time' by Britney Spears, 'Hells Bells' by AC/DC, and 'Born in the U.S.A.' by Bruce Springsteen over and over again.

It is said that the songs are played into cells at high volumes for hours.

Human rights groups are worried that the continuous blaring of the loud music may cause the inmates long-term psychiatric problems.

The playing of loud music in the prison is a tactic used to "break" suspected terrorists, and as per an FBI memo, one interrogator at Guantanamo bragged that he needed only four days to "break" someone by alternating 16 hours of loud music with just four hours of silence.

Lt Gen Ricardo Sanchez, the former U.S. military chief in Iraq, said that the aim was "to create fear, disorient . . . and prolong capture shock".

But, now, a number of bands and artists, including some whose recordings have been used against their wishes, have come together to demand the US stops using their work as an instrument of war.

Springsteen has already voiced anger at how 'Born in the USA' has been devalued in this fashion.

Now, on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he has been joined by artists including Massive Attack, Elbow, Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello, UNKLE's James Lavelle, Matthew Herbert, the Magic Numbers and Bill Bailey.

Their protest will include minutes of silence at concerts and festivals.

"What we're talking about here is people in a darkened room, physically inhibited by handcuffs, bags over their heads and music blaring at them," the Guardian quoted musician David Gray as saying.

"That is nothing but torture. It doesn't matter what the music is. It could be Tchaikovsky's finest or it could be Barney the Dinosaur. It really doesn't matter, it's going to drive you completely nuts," he stated.

One of the reasons for using loud music in this way is that it leaves no marks on the body. (ANI)