RAF pilot: 'utterly horrific' drone warfare gave me PTSD

RAF pilot: 'utterly horrific' drone warfare gave me PTSD

A former military drone pilot says he has been left with PTSD after being put at risk of "psychological harm" for years on end while viewing "utterly horrific" things on screen. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Adrian Chiles, ‘Rob’ (not his real name) also said he became suicidal due to the way the armed forces dealt with his request for mental help. Rob was a member of 13 Squadron until 2017, a specialist team within the Royal Air Force which operate unmanned drone aircraft from a military base in the UK. The Remotely Piloted Aircraft System, or Reaper, was first used by the UK in Afghanistan in 2008 for surveillance, and later fitted with weapons. By March 2015 the UK had carried out some 70 drone strikes against so-called Islamic State (IS) targets in Iraq.

The MOD issued this statement, ‘‘We do not recognise the allegations made with respect to the working environment on our Reaper Squadrons. The RAF actively manages Reaper Force crews to ensure that their workload is manageable, sustainable and balanced, alongside providing world-class military healthcare for those that need it. “All allegations of civilian casualties are subject to extensive investigations. We continue to do everything we can to minimise the risk of civilian casualties through the rigorous targeting processes and the professionalism of our crews.”

Jaksot(427)

How can women feel safer?

How can women feel safer?

Tony Livesey and Anna Foster take a detailed look at the many issues around the safety of women after the death of Sarah Everard. Her disappearance, the debate surrounding the policing of vigils to remember her and how we move forward to make women feel safer are all discussed. If you are affected by any issues in this podcast, you can find support and advice on the BBC's Action Line website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/

15 Maalis 202149min

Do you feel safe going about your business?

Do you feel safe going about your business?

Nicky Campbell asks do you feel safe going about your business? The investigation into Sarah Everard's disappearance has left us talking more about women's safety.If you are affected by any issues in this podcast, you can find support and advice on the BBC's Action Line website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/

11 Maalis 202147min

British ambassador on royals, negotiations and chocolates

British ambassador on royals, negotiations and chocolates

Naga Munchetty speaks to Dame Barbara Woodward, Britain's permanent representative to the United Nations, about what it’s like to negotiate with hostage-takers, her view on Harry and Meghan’s interview and whether they serve up those chocolates at ambassadors’ parties.

10 Maalis 202127min

Is it time to talk about our mental health?

Is it time to talk about our mental health?

Nicky Campbell asks if it's time to have a proper conversation about our mental health after the Meghan and Harry interview and the reaction to it?If you are affected by any issues in this podcast, you can find support and advice on the BBC's Action Line website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/

10 Maalis 202146min

Having children in care 'doesn't make you a bad person'

Having children in care 'doesn't make you a bad person'

5 Live's Naga Munchetty has been speaking to Col, Marie and Thelma (not their real names), who have 12 children in the care system. They've been helped by projects run by Pause charity which works with women who have had multiple children taken away. The women agree to take a long-acting contraceptive and get intensive help for their own problems.If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can find support and advice at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

23 Helmi 202125min

The families torn apart by Uighur detention camps

The families torn apart by Uighur detention camps

China calls them centres for re-education. The United States says the actions of the state amount to genocide. As more testimonies emerge from China’s “re-education” camps in the Xinjiang region of China, Colin Murray speaks to a former detainee who recounts appalling abuses, a reporter who posed as a tourist to gain access to the region, and a Uighur American who fears he’ll never see his mother again following her internment. Independent estimates suggest more than a million men and women have been detained in the network of camps, while human rights groups allege mass detention and forced sterilization - both allegations are denied by the Chinese government. Journalist Isobel Yeung describes her experience of China’s Orwellian surveillance and harassment first-hand during her time in Xinjiang, and how she captured hidden-camera footage of multiple Uighur men being detained by police in the middle of the night: “It's almost laughable the amount of reasons that a Uighur individual could end up in a very high security prison essentially. People told me that they'd been imprisoned for wearing a headscarf or from having WhatsApp on their phone, or from reading Arabic on their phone. The list goes on and on and on and it's incredible. Almost every Uighur individual is seen as a direct security threat, and that is exactly how they're treated.” Uighur-American engineer, Ferkat Jawdat left China in 2011 but his mother was denied a passport despite being granted an American visa. She's since been repeatedly detained in camps and following her release is still not allowed to leave her home. Ferkat has become an activist and leading voice on the treatment of the Uighur people but says he’s been warned to stop speaking out: “In 2019 I had a meeting with (the US) former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. So after three days I learnt that my mum was being transferred from the camp to a prison and then I received a message that I had to stop speaking out. If not, that I would lose my mum forever.” Tursunay Ziawudun spent two periods detained in a camp in Xinjiang. The second stint lasted nine months, and it’s during this time she says she was raped and tortured: “For a woman, who suffered from gang rapes it’s an unspeakable shame, but if I don’t speak up I have siblings and their children there, and our future generations are living there, and what is going to happen to our Uyghur women and their children? Bearing in mind of all those who are still suffering, I am prepared to make all sacrifices.” “How many women like me have suffered their abuse, I am not the only one, many of them are so young and innocent, I appeal to the world that it must not standby idly, I wish to believe and hope that the world will act.”

19 Helmi 202149min

"No one should have to see their daughter like that"

"No one should have to see their daughter like that"

Mark Jones’ seven-year-old daughter Emily was killed by a psychiatric patient on Mothers Day 2020.He claims an NHS trust’s failings left Eltiona Skana free to kill Emily in a park in Bolton.Speaking to 5 Live’s Naga Munchetty, Mark said he will “keep fighting” until he receives an apology from the NHS.Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust said it continued to send "deepest sympathies to everyone who loved and cared for Emily".

17 Helmi 202129min

NFL legend Osi Umenyiora on race, football and the pitfalls of showboating

NFL legend Osi Umenyiora on race, football and the pitfalls of showboating

NFL legend Osi Umenyiora speaks to Adrian Chiles about his childhood experiences of being a winner, how he found the sport of American Football and his experiences of a being black man living in the UK, Nigeria and America.

5 Helmi 202120min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

rss-podme-livebox
aikalisa
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
politiikan-puskaradio
otetaan-yhdet
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
aihe
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
rikosmyytit
the-ulkopolitist
rss-raha-talous-ja-politiikka
rss-merja-mahkan-rahat
linda-maria
rss-sinivalkoinen-islam
rss-tasta-on-kyse-ivan-puopolo-verkkouutiset
rss-kaikki-uusiksi
politbyroo
radio-antro
pekka-haaviston-tilannehuone
rss-etusivu