Former whistleblower opens up to Joe Rogan about U.S. torture programme he opposed that landed him in prison: "Never said we could kill people"

In a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, ex-CIA officer turned whistle-blower John Kiriakou talked to UFC commentator Joe Rogan about the U.S. torture program and the various enhanced interrogation techniques.

On the show, Kiriakou disclosed that the individuals who apprehended the inmates were unaware of their destination. Instead, it was simply catching and passing the ball to the next man in charge.

In May 2002, when he was asked if he wanted to become qualified in "enhanced interrogation techniques," he refused. Allegedly, one of the top officers told him there were ten enhanced interrogation techniques used on prisoners, which, to Kiriakou, seemed like a torture program. He declined it since he didn't want to be involved. About the enhanced interrogation techniques, he revealed to Rogan:

"A lot of these techniques are not torture. If I grab you by the lapels and say, ' dog on you and answer my questions,' that's not torture, or the first one was called the belly slap, or the intention slap, where I smack you in the belly, make a cracking sound, maybe leaving a hand print, it’s a little bit embarrassing. That's not torture."

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

John Kiriakou then shared other harrowing details with Joe Rogan:

"But then it graduated quickly to things like waterboarding, which everybody knows about, but there were techniques that were, in my view, worse than waterboarding. For example, there was the cold cell. So strip where they strip you naked, they chain you to an eyebolt in the ceiling, so you can’t you can’t lay or kneel or sit or anything, you can’t get comfortable anyway. And they chill the cell to 50°F, and then every hour somebody comes in and throws a bucket of ice water on you."

Kiriakou then added that these interrogation methods killed people:

"We killed people with that technique. The Justice Department never said we could kill people... At least two with that technique [died] from hypothermia... For example, with Abu Zubaydah, his heart actually stopped during a waterboarding session, and the doctor revived him just so he could be tortured more."

Check out John Kiriakou's comments below (10:30):

John Kiriakou also disclosed to Rogan that he waited for someone to come forward with information on the torture, but no one did. Hence, Kiriakou turned to the media to share the details because he did not want to be held accountable for torturing the inmates.

Soon after, in 2013, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for intentionally disclosing information identifying a covert CIA agent who was involved in the post 9/11 interrogation program.

About the author

Subham is a dynamic writer and editor at Sportskeeda, with a background in Health and Fitness, MMA, True-Crime, and Pop Culture.
A passionate cricketer and seasoned cyclist, Subham has completed grueling 200, 300, and 600-kilometer rides and competed in numerous races and brevets. His ultimate goal is to summit Mount Everest.
When not pursuing athletic feats, he enjoys motorbike rides for mental clarity. Subham finds motivation in role models like Conor McGregor and Yuvraj Singh. He has a diverse taste in music, including Post Malone, Machine Gun Kelly, Russ, and Central Cee.

Know More