Daniel Chong, a UC San Diego student detained two years ago by US drug enforcement officials, was denied food and water for five days. And that wasn’t the worst of it, according to a report released by the US Inspector General’s Office (OIG) four different US government employees saw Daniel Chong, then 23, handcuffed in his cell and did nothing to help him. Upon release Chong–who was not charged with a crime–was hospitalized for days, suffering from acute renal failure and other health problems due to dehydration and food deprivation. The agents who intended to charge Chong after a drug raid at the university apparently forgot about him. He was discovered by federal officers who were not involved in his case. During the ordeal he drank his own urine.
The OIG report says that the “failure to ensure that Chong was released from custody after deciding that he would not be charged resulted in Chong’s unjustified incarceration.” Last year Chong settled out of court with the government for more than $4 million. The Office of the Inspector General is part of the US Justice Department.
