CIA Tortured Iraqi to death
Thu Feb 17, 2005 at 04:56:33 PM PDT
I haven't seen anythign on this, incredibly, and if it is a repeat, well...I"m not sorry. This should be on the recomended list. We can have one less Gannon diary to make room.
Link
An Iraqi whose corpse was photographed with grinning U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib died under CIA (news - web sites) interrogation while in a position condemned by human rights groups as torture -- suspended by his wrists, with his hands cuffed behind his back, according to reports reviewed by The Associated Press.
More below
The death of the prisoner, Manadel al-Jamadi, became known last year when the Abu Ghraib prison scandal broke. The U.S. military said back then that the death had been ruled a homicide. But the exact circumstances under which the man died were not disclosed at the time.
How ever could this man have died in a prison that we know the CIA and army and contractors and god knows who else has been torturing god knows how many poeple in?
The prisoner died in a position known as "Palestinian hanging," the documents reviewed by The AP show. It is unclear whether that position was approved by the Bush administration for use in CIA interrogations.
Al-Jamadi died in a prison shower room during about a half-hour of questioning, before interrogators could extract any information, according to the documents, which consist of statements from Army prison guards to investigators with the military and the CIA's Inspector General's office.
One Army guard, Sgt. Jeffery Frost, said the prisoner's arms were stretched behind him in a way he had never before seen. Frost told investigators he was surprised al-Jamadi's arms "didn't pop out of their sockets," according to a summary of his interview.
Frost and other guards had been summoned to reposition al-Jamadi, who an interrogator said was not cooperating. As the guards released the shackles and lowered al-Jamadi, blood gushed from his mouth "as if a faucet had been turned on," according to the interview summary.
The military pathologist who ruled the case a homicide found several broken ribs and concluded al-Jamadi died from pressure to the chest and difficulty breathing.
When I visited the Dachau work camp outside of Munich, this position, called here "Palestinian hanging" was used to punish workers that didn't keep up to speed. THe article says that, somewhat ironically, it is "named for its alleged use by Israel in the Palestinian territories." (another example of Israel using Nazi tactics on the Palestinians, but that's a topic for another diary.)
So what? Is anything going to be done about this? Probably not. WIll we continue to be filled with impotent rage? Probably.
Navy prosecutors in San Diego have charged nine SEALs and one sailor with abusing al-Jamadi and others. All but two lieutenants have received nonjudicial punishment; one lieutenant is scheduled for court-martial in March, the other is awaiting a hearing before the Navy's top SEAL.
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