Memo Shows U.S. Inmate Interrogation Plans in Iraq
Tue Mar 29, 2005 08:37 PM ET
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By Will Dunham
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. commander in Iraq authorized prisoner interrogation tactics more harsh than accepted Army practice, including using guard dogs to exploit "Arab fear of dogs," a memo made public on Tuesday showed.
The Sept. 14, 2003, memo by Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, then the senior commander in Iraq, was released by the American Civil Liberties Union, which obtained it from the government under court order through the Freedom of Information Act.
"The memo clearly establishes that Gen. Sanchez authorized unlawful interrogation techniques for use in Iraq, and in particular these techniques violate the Geneva Conventions and the Army's own field manual governing interrogations," ACLU lawyer Amrit Singh said in an interview.
...Singh said at least 12 of the techniques were beyond the scope of the Army field manual, whose interrogation rules are designed to adhere to the Geneva Conventions.
The memo also noted that the Geneva Conventions "are applicable" and that detainees must be treated humanely.
The fact that the Sanchez memo existed was previously known, but not its contents.
The memo allowed for military working dogs, or MWD, to be present during interrogations, saying the practice "exploits Arab fear of dogs while maintaining security during interrogations. Dogs will be muzzled and under control of MWD handler at all times to prevent contract with detainee."
...The ACLU said the Pentagon initially refused to release the Sanchez memo on national-security grounds.
"It is apparent that the government has been holding this document not out of any genuine concern that it will compromise national security but to protect itself from embarrassment," Singh said.
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Full Story: reuters.com |
