A reference to harsh treatment at CIA prisons brought out Guantanamo's censors Thursday as an official of the war crimes court abruptly cut the sound to prevent spectators from hearing classified information.
Cmdr. Suzanne Lachelier, a lawyer appointed by the Pentagon to defend 9/11 suspect Ramzi bin al Shibh, began discussing the prisoner's treatment before he was taken to Guantanamo in September 2006 when the censor hit the switch.
"The government can't hide the fact that they used sleep deprivation ..." Lachelier said before she was cut off and the sound of static filled a soundproof spectator section in the courtroom and a separate media viewing room. There is a 40-second delay in the spectator and media rooms.
U.S. authorities have cut the sound several times in the past to protect classified information and have held many hearings in private.