U.S. authorities have closed an investigation into the so-called Havana syndrome after alleged victims admitted they were coerced into participating in medical procedures, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said.
“The NIH investigation found that regulatory policy requirements for informed consent were not met due to coercion, although not by NIH investigators.” – says a statement from a representative of the organization, cited by Fox News.
They emphasized that voluntary consent is a fundamental principle of the code of ethics when conducting this type of research.
“The National Institutes of Health stopped the study out of an abundance of caution.” – the NIH noted.
The NIH began investigating Havana syndrome in March 2024. The review found no evidence linking participants with the same symptoms and brain injuries.
In April, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin The Pentagon chief asked the National Intelligence Service to re-examine evidence that Russia is allegedly behind the so-called “Havana syndrome” outbreaks among US government employees. According to the Pentagon chief, his department considered the new data on Moscow’s alleged involvement in these incidents worthy of study.
At the end of March, CBS reported that Russia was allegedly behind a series of attacks similar to the so-called “Havana syndrome” protests during the visit of the US vice president. Kamala Harris to Vietnam in 2021.
In Russia, these accusations were described as unfounded and it was stressed that Washington had not provided any evidence to support these speculations.
A year earlier, a report by the US intelligence community came to light, concluding that the “Havana syndrome” among US officials on business trips abroad was not associated with the actions of “foreign adversaries.” Earlier, a White House spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre He recalled these conclusions, saying that US intelligence had not drawn any conclusions about Russia’s involvement in the incidents, RIA Novosti clarifies.
