Heart and Soul: Faith, terrorists and mercy at Guantanamo Bay
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 15 September 2023
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Dr Jennifer Bryson interrogated suspected Al-Qaeda terrorists at the infamous Guantanamo Bay. She worked at the detention centre in Cuba for two years and says that some of the inmates bragged openly about helping to organise the terrorist attacks of 9/11 that killed 3,000 people. Bryson was the first woman to take up the role of lead interrogator at Guantanamo, and the first who was not a member of the military. She would carry out interrogations herself but was also responsible for signing off methods and techniques used by other interrogators. After some time, she started to feel uneasy about some of the 'enhanced interrogation' methods she was asked to approve - in her gut, she felt something was not right. She says it was her faith-formed conscience that led her to deny her colleagues’ requests to use such interrogation techniques.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Unexpected elements is the podcast exploring the science behind the headlines. |
| 0:05.0 | It's a real melting pot. |
| 0:06.0 | Yeah, the surface has lots happening. |
| 0:08.0 | Unexpected elements from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:11.0 | Find it wherever you get your BBC podcasts. |
| 0:23.0 | I'm walking up to a stunning monastery hidden away in the hills of Austria. |
| 0:28.0 | To meet a woman called Dr. Jennifer Bryson. |
| 0:31.0 | Jennifer, great to meet you. |
| 0:33.0 | Hi, Colin. Good to see you. |
| 0:34.0 | How are you? |
| 0:35.0 | I'm doing just fine today. |
| 0:37.0 | This monastery where standin' in is called Heilinengroiz, |
| 0:40.0 | around 40 minutes south of Vienna. |
| 0:42.0 | And it's one of the oldest monasteries in the world. |
| 0:46.0 | Founded in 1133, |
| 0:48.0 | we're in the main entry courtyard of the monastery in front of the Abbey Church. |
| 0:53.0 | Jennifer is an academic researcher here on a two-year scholarship. |
| 0:57.0 | Translating the work of a mid-20th century German Catholic altar. |
| 1:01.0 | Her name is Ida Friedricha Gürs. |
| 1:04.0 | She's fallen into being forgotten today, |
| 1:08.0 | but she was a wonderful mid-20th century Catholic author. |
| 1:11.0 | Every now and then, we spot one of the cloistered monks walking by |
... |
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