Families of Montreal brainwashing victims push for right to sue CIA, which funded experiments
It's well documented that the CIA, the American intelligence agency, funded the Montreal brainwashing experiments that forever altered Lana Mills Sowchuk's father and many, many others.
"He was tortured with 54 shock treatments, followed by 54 seizures," Mills Sowchuk said of her father.
He was admitted to the Allan Memorial Hospital in 1952 for asthma, told that he could be cured.
But he was put under the care of Dr. Donald Ewen Cameron, who was working on something known as MK Ultra, a secret experiment funded and sanctioned by the CIA.
By using brainwashing and torture techniques, they hoped to learn more about getting information out of spies.
"He was put in an insulin coma for 36 days with a recording saying 'your mother hates you,'" Mills Sowchuk said.
"They wiped his brain. This is not right. It should not have happened."
Sowchuk is part of a group seeking authorization to sue several bodies in Canada: the Allan Memorial Institute, the MUHC and the Canadian government.
But they also want to pursue their court action against the CIA. A lawyer for the U.S. Attorney General, however, is appealing to have the case against the CIA dismissed.
"Generally speaking, there’s immunity that countries get where they can’t be subject to civil action in other countries," explained lawyer Jeff Orenstein, who's representing the group.
But the victims say Cameron was carrying out human experimentation without his subjects' consent, and anyone aware of this should have stopped it, including the CIA.
They held a protest Wednesday to draw attention to their fight against the U.S. behemoth.
"There’s a lot of people in our case that we think should have intervened, either by not helping or cutting it off," Orenstein said.
"They funded part of the money for these treatments for their own good, to support the military and for political reasons, and they’re trying to get out of it," Sowchuk said.
Even if a judge sides with the CIA, the class action may still be authorized against the other parties.
Most of the victims have died, but their families, who are pursuing the lawsuit, say they're prepared for a long wait -- it's already been many years, and it may take several more before they see results.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Infant dies in ATV crash, N.S. RCMP says alcohol may be a factor
An infant has died and three others, including another child, were taken to hospital following an ATV crash in Forties, N.S., on Monday.
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.
Charges against world's top golfer Scottie Scheffler dropped after arrest outside PGA Championship
Criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, ending a legal saga that began with images of the world’s top male golfer being arrested and handcuffed in Louisville during the PGA Championship.
Canadians are eyeing moves to these cities for more affordable housing
Faced with elevated housing prices, half of Canadians in the country's largest cities are considering moving to places with more affordable housing.
'Scandals and secrets': On board the world's most exclusive private residential ship
It’s a floating city exclusively home to the 1 per cent, a playground for multimillionaires and billionaires that circumnavigates the world's oceans.
How Trump's hush money trial verdict could affect the 2024 election
Here is how three potential outcomes from the jury room ─ a guilty verdict, an acquittal or a hung jury ─ could affect the presidential campaign.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
An Iceland volcano starts erupting again, spewing lava into the sky
A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Wednesday for the fifth time since December, spewing red streams of lava in the latest display of nature’s power and triggering the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.
'Are you driving?' U.S. man with suspended licence shows up on court Zoom call while behind the wheel
A Michigan man with a suspended driver's licence didn't appear to have thought through a recent court appearance made on video, joining the Zoom call while driving.