A former Guantanamo Bay prosecutor who refused to indict a suspected al-Qaida mastermind because his confession was elicited through torture will visit the University Thursday.

Lt. Col. Stuart Couch will speak to the University community about the issue of gathering evidence through torture techniques, in a lecture hosted by the Roosevelt Institution.

After learning that a close friend died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Couch was appointed military prosecutor for suspects held in Guantanamo Bay.

He was assigned to the case of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a detainee suspected of involvement in the planning of hijacking planes during the Sept. 11 attacks in America.

But Couch refused to prosecute after several months of examination.

“Through interrogation, it was revealed to Lt. Couch that [Slahi's] confessions were retrieved through extreme torture,” said Patrick Dever, a junior from Atlanta and policy director for the University’s Roosevelt Institution chapter.

“[Lt. Couch] was going to testify [on the torture practices] in front of Congress, but was barred by the Bush Administration.”

A Roosevelt Institution news release confirmed the Department of Defense barred Couch’s testimony at the request of the Bush Administration.

According to a letter written by Slahi to his attorney, the suspect claimed to have “broke loose” and “yes-sed every accusation” made by his interrogators, including confessions of further plans of terrorization.

Slahi disclosed to his attorney that torture was involved in his confession, which he said influenced his declarations of guilt.

Upon his appointment as president, Barack Obama took steps toward shutting down the Guantanamo Bay prison.

“National security issues will have a new spin in the Obama Administration,” Dever said. “The Bush Administration received much criticism because of their support for more questionable interrogation practices.”

The University’s Roosevelt Institution was founded in 2005 and encourages students to partake in research and advocacy regarding political and social issues.

“We are the only student-run government policy ‘think tank’ and non-partisan organization for students who are policy- minded,” said Alex Johnson, a senior from Royston and local issues director for Roosevelt at UGA. “We all come together and discuss topics such as the Iraq war, interrogation policies, immigration and national security.”

The lecture is sponsored by the University’s Honors Program.