Nathaniel Raymond

Nathaniel Raymond
Born	November 11, 1977 (1977-11-11) (age 34) Massachusetts
Residence	Northampton, Massachusetts
Nationality	American
Education	Drew University, B.A in Religious Studies (1999)
Occupation	human rights investigator, anti-torture advocate
Religion	Episcopalian
Partner	Megan Griscom
Parents	Richard N. Raymond Susan Swedis
Relatives	Liza Raymond (sister)

Nathaniel Raymond (born November 11, 1977) is an American human rights investigator, specializing in the prevention and detection of torture.^[1] Raymond is best known for his leadership of the anti-torture campaign at Physicians for Human Rights, and his usage of satellite surveillance in the South Sudan as part of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. Raymond is an advocate of the use of intelligence by human rights groups and other non-governmental organizations.

Early life and personal information

Nathaniel Adam Raymond was born in Massachusetts in 1977 to Richard N. Raymond, an antiques dealer, and Susan Swedis, a biology and environmental science professor. He grew up in the towns of Brimfield and Northborough in Massachusetts. Raymond is a graduate of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey with a B.A. in Religious Studies.^[2] Raymond resides in Northampton, Massachusetts, and is engaged to Megan Griscom, a Harvard-educated architect. He has a younger sister who is a business owner.

Anti-torture campaign

Raymond was the director of Physicians for Human Rights' investigation into torture by the United States government and other governments as part of the War on Terror. He led an inquiry into an alleged 2001 Dasht-e-Leili massacre in northern Afghanistan, which included the discovery of a mass grave site in 2002.^[3] Raymond directed an investigation into the role of psychologists during torture sessions, and has alleged that the American Psychological Association (APA) changed its ethics policy specifically to allow psychologists to be present during investigations when torture is used.^[4]

South Sudan campaign

Raymond is currently directing the Satellite Sentinel Project, which utilizes satellite imagery and other information to produce up-to-date reports on the security situation in the newly-independent South Sudan.^[5] The project is sponsored by George Clooney, and is coordinated through the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.^[6] In 2011, the Satellite Sentinel Project detected images of freshly-dug mass grave sites in the Southern Kordofan state of South Sudan, where Sudan’s Arab military has been targeting a black ethnic minority.^[7]

Human rights advocacy

Raymond has advocated the prosecution of CIA agents and military personnel who were involved with torture at Guantanamo Bay and black sites.^[8][9] He is a frequent commentator about the role of the media and legal institutions in preventing torture.^[10][11] Raymond has championed the use of human intelligence and satellite surveillance to investigate and prevent human rights abuses.^[12]

Notes

1. ^ "Nathaniel Raymond". Phrblog.org. http://phrblog.org/blog/author/nraymond/. Retrieved 2011-07-17. 
2. ^ http://hhi.harvard.edu/programs-and-research/programs-and-research/292-nathaniel-a-raymond
3. ^ http://afghanistan.phrblog.org/news-room/spokespeople/
4. ^ Raymond, Nathaniel (2009-06-14). "New Yorker: Former APA President Worked with CIA and on Board of Mitchell and Jessen". Phrblog.org. http://phrblog.org/blog/2009/06/14/new-yorker-former-apa-president-worked-with-cia-and-on-board-of-mitchell-and-jessen/. Retrieved 2011-07-17. 
5. ^ "Nathaniel A. Raymond". Hhi.harvard.edu. http://hhi.harvard.edu/programs-and-research/programs-and-research/292-nathaniel-a-raymond. Retrieved 2011-07-17. 
6. ^ "Clooney launches project to monitor Sudan". Post-gazette.com. 2011-01-02. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11002/1114719-82.stm. Retrieved 2011-07-17. 
7. ^ http://articles.boston.com/2011-07-14/news/29774260_1_mass-graves-aid-groups-satellite
8. ^ "DustinTime: Nathaniel Raymond, the group's lead researcher into the deaths, said". Huffingtonpost.com. 2011-07-13. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/DustinTime/obama-admin-no-grounds-to_n_229907_26931782.html. Retrieved 2011-07-17. 
9. ^ Egnor, Bill (2010-06-07). "NYT Editorial Calls for Investigations on Illegal Torture Experiments | MyFDL". My.firedoglake.com. http://my.firedoglake.com/valtin/tag/nathaniel-raymond/. Retrieved 2011-07-17. 
10. ^ http://firedoglake.com/2009/04/22/nathaniel-raymond-director-of-physicians-for-human-rights-sere-scsa-and-olc-the-role-of-health-professionals-in-bush-era-torture/#comments
11. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ficfYn7Ow5Y
12. ^ "Advancing the New Machine: Mapping and Geospatial Tools". FORA.tv. http://fora.tv/2011/04/26/Advancing_the_New_Machine_Mapping_and_Geospatial_Tools#Satellite_Sentinel_Project_Protecting_Civilians. Retrieved 2011-07-17. 

Persondata
Name	Raymond, Nathaniel
Alternative names
Short description	Human rights investigator
Date of birth	November 11, 1977
Place of birth	Massacusetts
Date of death
Place of death