U.S. Operatives Killed Detainees During Interrogations in Afghanistan and Iraq

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U.S. Operatives Killed Detainees During Interrogations in Afghanistan

and Iraq

Sat, 05 Nov 2005 14:14:51 -0800

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10740.htm

 

 

 

U.S. Operatives Killed Detainees During Interrogations in Afghanistan

and Iraq

 

CIA, Navy Seals and Military Intelligence Personnel Implicated

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: media

 

10/24/05 " ACLU " -- -- NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union

today made public an analysis of new and previously released autopsy

and death reports of detainees held in U.S. facilities in Iraq and

Afghanistan, many of whom died while being interrogated. The documents

show that detainees were hooded, gagged, strangled, beaten with blunt

objects, subjected to sleep deprivation and to hot and cold

environmental conditions.

 

" There is no question that U.S. interrogations have resulted in

deaths, " said Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU.

" High-ranking officials who knew about the torture and sat on their

hands and those who created and endorsed these policies must be held

accountable. America must stop putting its head in the sand and deal

with the torture scandal that has rocked our military. "

 

The documents released today include 44 autopsies and death reports as

well as a summary of autopsy reports of individuals apprehended in

Iraq and Afghanistan. The documents show that detainees died during or

after interrogations by Navy Seals, Military Intelligence and " OGA "

(Other Governmental Agency) -- a term, according to the ACLU, that is

commonly used to refer to the CIA.

 

According to the documents, 21 of the 44 deaths were homicides. Eight

of the homicides appear to have resulted from abusive techniques used

on detainees, in some instances, by the CIA, Navy Seals and Military

Intelligence personnel. The autopsy reports list deaths by

" strangulation, " " asphyxiation " and " blunt force injuries. " An

overwhelming majority of the so-called " natural deaths " were

attributed to " Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease. "

 

While newspapers have recently reported deaths of detainees in CIA

custody, today's documents show that the problem is pervasive,

involving Navy Seals and Military Intelligence too.

 

The records reveal the following facts:

 

A 27-year-old Iraqi male died while being interrogated by Navy Seals

on April 5, 2004, in Mosul, Iraq. During his confinement he was

hooded, flex-cuffed, sleep deprived and subjected to hot and cold

environmental conditions, including the use of cold water on his body

and hood. The exact cause of death was " undetermined " although the

autopsy stated that hypothermia may have contributed to his death.

Notes say he " struggled/ interrogated/ died sleeping. " Some facts

relating to this case have been previously reported. (In April 2003,

Secretary Rumsfeld authorized the use of " environmental manipulation "

as an interrogation technique in Guantánamo Bay. In September 2003,

Lt. Gen. Sanchez also authorized this technique for use in Iraq.

Although Lt. Gen. Sanchez later rescinded the September 2003

techniques, he authorized " changes in environmental quality " in

October 2003.)

 

An Iraqi detainee (also described as a white male) died on January 9,

2004, in Al Asad, Iraq, while being interrogated by " OGA. " He was

standing, shackled to the top of a door frame with a gag in his mouth

at the time he died. The cause of death was asphyxia and blunt force

injuries. Notes summarizing the autopsies record the circumstances of

death as " Q by OGA, gagged in standing restraint. " (Facts in the

autopsy report appear to match the previously reported case of Abdul

Jaleel.)

 

A detainee was smothered to death during an interrogation by Military

Intelligence on November 26, 2003, in Al Qaim, Iraq. A previously

released autopsy report, that appears to be of General Mowhoush, lists

" asphyxia due to smothering and chest compression " as the cause of

death and cites bruises from the impact with a blunt object. New

documents specifically record the circumstances of death as " Q by MI,

died during interrogation. "

 

A detainee at Abu Ghraib Prison, captured by Navy Seal Team number

seven, died on November 4, 2003, during an interrogation by Navy Seals

and " OGA. " A previously released autopsy report, that appears to be of

Manadel Al Jamadi, shows that the cause of his death was " blunt force

injury complicated by compromised respiration. " New documents

specifically record the circumstances of death as " Q by OGA and NSWT

died during interrogation. "

 

An Afghan civilian died from " multiple blunt force injuries to head,

torso and extremities " on November 6, 2003, at a Forward Operating

Base in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. (Facts in the autopsy report

appear to match the previously reported case of Abdul Wahid.)

 

A 52-year-old male Iraqi was strangled to death at the Whitehorse

detainment facility on June 6, 2003, in Nasiriyah, Iraq. His autopsy

also revealed bone and rib fractures, and multiple bruises on his

body. (Facts in the autopsy report appear to match the previously

reported case of Nagm Sadoon Hatab.)

The ACLU has previously released autopsy reports for two detainees who

were tortured by U.S. forces in Bagram, Afghanistan, believed to be

Mullah Habibullah and an Afghan man known as Dilawar.

 

" These documents present irrefutable evidence that U.S. operatives

tortured detainees to death during interrogations, " said Amrit Singh,

an attorney with the ACLU. " The public has a right to know who

authorized the use of torture techniques and why these deaths have

been covered up. "

 

The documents were released by the Department of Defense in response

to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the ACLU, the Center

for Constitutional Rights, Physicians for Human Rights, Veterans for

Common Sense and Veterans for Peace. The New York Civil Liberties

Union is co-counsel in the case.

 

As part of the FOIA lawsuit brought by the ACLU, a federal judge

recently ordered the Defense Department to turn over photographs and

videotapes depicting the abuse of prisoners held by the United States

at Abu Ghraib. That decision has been stayed until October 26. There

is a strong chance that the government will appeal the decision and

the stay will remain in place.

 

The FOIA lawsuit is being handled by Lawrence Lustberg and Megan Lewis

of the New Jersey-based law firm Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger &

Vecchione, P.C. Other attorneys in the case are Singh, Jameel Jaffer,

and Judy Rabinovitz of the ACLU; Arthur Eisenberg and Beth Haroules of

the NYCLU; and Barbara Olshansky of the Center for Constitutional Rights.

 

To date, more than 77,000 pages of government documents have been

released in response to the ACLU's Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

The ACLU has been posting these documents online at

www.aclu.org/torturefoia.

 

The documents released today are available online at

http://action.aclu.org/torturefoia/released/102405/