Viacom Lobbyists Hired CIA Torturer for "Kite Runner" Movie

Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein, Majikthise at 5:44 AM on December 11, 2007.

This post, written by Lindsay Beyerstein, originally appeared on Majikthise

The retired CIA agent who helped waterboard Abu Zubaydah went on to work as a security consultant for the movie adaptation of The Kite Runner (2007).

Lobbyists for Viacom helped the producers of the film retain Kiriakou, according an Oct 4 article in the International Herald Tribune, which came out before the retired CIA agent went public about his career as a torturer:

In late July, with violence worsening in Kabul, studio executives looked for experts who could help them chart a safe course. Aided by lobbyists for Viacom, Paramount's parent company, they found John Kiriakou, the retired CIA operative with experience in the region, and had him conduct interviews in Washington and Kabul.

"They wanted to do the right thing, but they wanted to understand what the right thing was," Kiriakou said. [IHT]

The producers realized belatedly that the film's release would put movie's child stars in serious danger. The Kite Runner is an adaptation of a Khaled Husseini novel that touches on ethnic tensions in Afghanistan, rape, and the Taliban.

On Dec. 5, the IHT reported that four young actors and accompanying adult relatives off to the United Arab Emirates for their own protection:

Months of spadework by at least 20 studio executives, relief workers, diplomats and even a former CIA counterterrorism operative culminated last week when the boys, who were in the midst of final exams, obtained visas and boarded a plane for the United Arab Emirates. [IHT]

The film opens on Dec. 14.

Majikthise is first publication to report on Kiriakou's work as a security consultant in light of his torture revelations.

Lindsay Beyerstein a New York writer blogging at Majikthise.