Senate report on the CIA introduces horrible new term to the torture lexicon: rectal feeding

Senate report on the CIA introduces horrible new term to the torture lexicon: rectal feeding
(Image credit: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa/Corbis)

The Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday released its highly anticipated findings — dubbed the torture report — on the interrogation techniques the CIA used against terrorism suspects in the Bush era. Among many important revelations, one particularly gruesome one stood out: the CIA's use of "rectal feeding" against suspects, "without any documented medical need," as The Daily Beast put it.

What does rectal feeding entail? According to the report, this is some very dark stuff. In the case of Majid Khan, a "lunch tray" consisting of "hummus, pasta with sauce, nuts, and raisins were 'pureed' and rectally infused."

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Ryu Spaeth

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.