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Detainee Deaths Blamed on U.S.
25 October 2005
by Anai Rhoads
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AnaiRhoads.org - According to
the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the
deaths of at least 21 Iraqi and Afghani detainees were not
incidental, but purposeful on the part of the United States military.
The Department of Defense (DoD) called one case "gagged in standing
restraint". The 47 year-old white male detainee died while in U.S.
custody. His death certificate says his death was caused by "Blunt
Force Injuries" and "Asphyxia". His autopsy revealed deep bruising of
the chest wall, numerous displaced rib fractures, bruised lungs, and
hemorrhages were found in both the small and large intestines.
According to a report provided by the US Army CID, the detainee was
shackled to the top of a door frame with a gag in his mouth at the time
he lost consciousness, where he died a short time later.
In another case, an Iraqi male civilian detainee died in U.S. custody
12 hours after being reported missing. Physical force was used to
subdue the detainee, which lead to his death. His forehead was slammed
against the ground, causing a subarachnoid hemorrhage over his brain.
The man's
autopsy also revealed that he had fractured ribs, multiple
abrasions to his head, torso and extremities. There was evidence that
this man was beaten while restrained, since there were classic
abrasions on his wrists and ankles. According to the DoD, this man had no signs
of dying from a natural cause. DoD 003329 refers to this case as "1
closed head injury - died 12 hours after escape attempt."
"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 ACLU examined a partial report where 44 deaths were
listed. The organisation found that 21 were classified as homicides
by the DoD, with at least 8 deaths were caused by blunt force trauma. In
total, over 100 overseas detainees died of natural causes, some as result of a homicide.
"On their day off people would show up all the time. Everyone in camp knew if you wanted to work out your frustration you show up at the PUC tent.(1) In a way it was sport. The cooks were all US soldiers. One day a sergeant shows up and tells a PUC to grab a pole. He told him to bend over and broke the guy's leg with a mini Louisville Slugger that was a metal bat. He was the fucking cook. He shouldn't be in with no PUCs." 82nd Airborne sergeant, describing events at FOB Mercury, Iraq.
So far, over 230 military personnel have been either court-martialed or
received non-judicial punishments for similar crimes.
"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."
©2005 Anai Rhoads. Reproduction must be authorised in writing
by author only. Altering, redistributing, or selling this material is
strictly prohibited.
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