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Judge won’t dismiss lawsuit on harsh interrogation

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SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A federal judge won’t dismiss a lawsuit against two Washington state psychologists who helped design the CIA’s harsh interrogation techniques.

The decision in Spokane on Friday means a continuation of the closely-watched case that will likely include secret information in the war on terror.

The American Civil Liberties Union sued James E. Mitchell and John “Bruce” Jessen last October on behalf of three former CIA prisoners.

The lawsuit alleges that the psychologists, despite having no expertise on al-Qaida, devised an interrogation program for the CIA that drew from 1960s experiments involving dogs and the theory of “learned helplessness.”