Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Videotapes reveal widespread abuse of Guantanamo prisoners By PAISLEY DODDS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Videotapes of riot squads subduing troublesome terror suspects at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay show the guards punching some detainees, tying one to a gurney for questioning and forcing a dozen to strip from the waist down, according to a secret report. One squad was ail-female, traumatizing some Muslim prisoners. Investigators from U.S. Southern Command in Miami, which oversees the camp in Cuba, wrote the report that was obtained by The Associated Press after spending a little over a week in June reviewing 20 hours of videotapes involving “Immediate Reaction Forces.” The camp’s layout prevented videotaping in all the cells where the five-person teams — also known as “Immediate Response Forces” — operated, the report said. Reviewers said they did not look at all of the available videotapes. Aitnougn tne report cited several cases of physical force, reviewers said they found no evidence of systemic detainee abuse, according to the six-page summary dated June 19, 2004. An official familiar with the report authenticated it, speaking to AP on condition of anonymity. AP also reviewed an unclassified log of the videotape footage. The tapes raised questions about mistreatment and misconduct, however, said the investigators, who suggested some clips needed more scrutiny to rule out abuse. The military has cited 10 substantiated cases of abuse at Guantanamo, and announced Tuesday an extension would be granted for an investigation to interview of witnesses in the United States and abroad. One such clip the investigators flagged was from Feb. 17, 2004. It showed “one or more” team members punching a detainee “on an area of his body that seemingly would be inconsistent with striking a pressure point,” which is a sanctioned tactic for subduing prisoners. In five other clips showing detainees who appeared to have been punched by team members, the investigators said: “The punching was in line with accepted law enforcement practice of striking the pressure point on the back of the thigh to temporarily distract the detainee.” In other “questionable” cases, « reviewers said a video showed a guard kneeing a detainee in the head, while another showed a team securing a detainee to a gurney for an interrogation. A separate clip captured a platoon leader taunting a detainee with pepper spray and repeatedly spraying him before letting the reaction team enter the cell, reviewers wrote. Investigators also noted about a dozen cases where detainees were stripped from the waist down and taken to the “Romeo block,” of the camp. No female guards were involved, they said. Romeo block is a camp section where prisoners were often left naked for days, according to two former detainees, Britons Shafiq Rasul and Asif Iqbal, who were released last year. Although no female guards were videotaped in any of the stripping cases, investigators cautioned the U.S. government about using the all-female team to handle disruptive detainees, citing religious and cultural issues. Many of the prisoners are Muslim men and under strict interpretations of Islam view contact with other women other than their wives as taboo. about female MPs either escorting them, or touching them as members of an IRF team,” the report says. “Because some have questioned our sensitivity tq the detainees’ religion and culture, we believe that talking points are appropriate to address incorporation of female soldiers into the guard force.” In one video clip of the reaction teams, the memo says, “A detainee appears to be genuinely traumatized by a female escort securing the detainee’s leg irons. In another video, inexplicably an all-female IRF team forcibly extracts a detainee from his cell.” While stating that female troops have a right to serve as equals alongside their male counterparts, investigators warned the all-female team could create the perception that the gender of the squad was taken into consideration for the Muslim population. “By forming an all-female IRF team for use with one detainee we potentially undercut our position that we do not distinguish between male and female soldiers. Clearly, the soldiers’ gender did play a role in forming the all-female IRF team,” the memo says. The memo suggests that military “personnel showing the IRF videos outside of (Defense Department) ERIC GAY/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Sgt. Javal Davis, foreground left, departs from the courthouse following a hearing in Fort Hood, Texas, on Tuesday. Davis pleaded guilty to battery and two other charges in connection with the prisoner abuse scandal at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. channels should be prepared with talking points to refute or diminish the charge that we use women (against) the detainees’ culture or religion.” The U.S. military wouldn’t comment on whether there’s a specific strategy involved in using an all-female response force but said female guards — who serve on mixed reaction teams as well — comprise about 20 percent of the guard force. “As a matter of policy, we do not discuss specific Immediate Response Force composition or methods, but they are consistent with those used in the corrections profession and are always carried out with the security and safety of detainees and troopers in mind,” said Lt. Col. James Marshall, a spokesman at U.S. Southern Command. Navy Cmdr. Robert Mulac, a former spokesman at Guantanamo, reported last year that Guantanamo had surrendered 500 hours of videos to investigators. Southern Command spokesman Col. David McWilliams disputed the number on Tuesday. McWilliams said he couldn’t provide a specific figure because investigations were pending and the information was classified. Prisoners released from Guantanamo have accused the extraction teams of abuse and one former U.S. National Guardsmen received brain damage after posing undercover as a rowdy detainee and being beaten by teammates. “The obvious problem with our armed forces is their inability to comply with international law,” said Arsalan T. Iftikhar, national legal director for the Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations. “Many of us thought that the Abu Ghraib scandal in Iraq was going to shake us into awakening but it seems like the things we keep learning about Guantanamo indicate there was, in fact, systematic abuse.” 11 ♦ FREE Shuttle Service to University ■ (transports until 8pm on select days) ♦ FULLY Furnished 3&4 bedroom suites ^ PRIVATE Bathroom in Every Bedroom Suite + INDIVIDUAL Leases ♦ FREE Secure Personal Storage Unit ^ INDIVIDUAL locks for Every Bedroom II Suite ' 1 ♦ LARGE Screen TV in Select Units ♦ OVERSIZED Desk ♦ DESIGNER Furnishings ^ GATED Community ♦ LIGHTED Basketball Court/Sand Pit Volleyball ♦ PRIVATE Balcony/Patio for Every^ Apartment ♦ WALK to Stadium )♦ RESORT STYLE Spa, Deck and Pool k\ . ♦ FULL-SIZE Appliances with Microw.ave + ELECTRONIC Front Door Lock ♦ 24 HOUR Deluxe Fitness Center ♦ 24 HOUR Multi-Station Computer Center ♦ LARGEST Suites in Town ♦ X-Box Room + TANNING BED (FREE) ♦ FREE Blazing Broadband Ethernet ♦ FREE Roommate Matching ♦ FREE Cable TV with HBO package ♦ FREE Trash Pick-Up at your door ♦ ENJOY the Putting Green Turn by Bernie's Restaurant I To Columbia Metro Airport , _ I IB ^-L- University of SC BLOSSOM ST Main Campus 1H SCGuarpn8' Directions: Drive East l! _ ° on Bluff Rd from Stadium Hi £ about a quarter of a mile. 3 Turn right at Bernie's H _111 Restaurant and drive 2 Bemie s blocks to College Suites, i Restaurant ___ I Call For Our Specialsl H Toll free 1.877.927.8483 _| __ 1 LACOSTE 1 | LANDED INVENTORY • 26 GREAT COLORS | * ... ■- .—.. .. 1 .» Lourie’s is within walking distance for USC students, or you may park free in the City of Columbia parking deck adjacent to our store at Assembly and Taylor. 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