Serious New Allegations of Torture

Like soldiers accused at Abu Ghraib, these troops said that military intelligence interrogators encouraged their actions, telling them to make sure the detainees did not sleep or were physically exhausted so as to get them to talk.

The report again shows the need for an independent investigation into detainee abuse, and for Congress to define how US soldiers are to treat detainees in their custody.

“Some days we would just get bored so we would have everyone sit in a corner and then make them get in a pyramid,” ... “This was before Abu Ghraib but just like it. We did that for amusement.“

    Two soldiers and an officer with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division have told a human rights organization of systemic detainee abuse and human rights violations at U.S. bases in Afghanistan and Iraq, recounting beatings, forced physical exertion and psychological torture of prisoners, the group said.

    A 30-page report by Human Rights Watch describes an Army captain’s 17-month effort to gain clear understanding of how US soldiers were supposed to treat detainees, and depicts his frustration with what he saw as widespread abuse that the military’s leadership failed to address. The Army officer made clear that he believes low-ranking soldiers have been held responsible for abuse to cover for officers who condoned it.

    The report does not identify the two sergeants and a captain who gave the accounts, although Capt. Ian Fishback has presented some of his allegations in a letter to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).

    Their statements included vivid allegations of violence against detainees held at Forward Operating Base Mercury, outside Fallujah, shortly before…

Posted by ShiftShapers
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