Guantanamo Bay chief takes over after shameful jail abuse

[CShine]

The US military is weighing disciplinary action against the army general who was in charge of a prison on the outskirts of Baghdad where American troops were accused of abusing Iraqi prisoners, while the commander of the US military detention camp at Guantanamo Bay has been transferred to Iraq to oversee the treatment of 8000 detainees.

Officials said on Thursday that the top US commander in Iraq, Lieutenant-General Ricardo Sanchez, had ordered administrative penalties against seven unnamed officers who supervised the Army Reserve military police unit that was responsible for Abu Ghraib jail in November, when US soldiers allegedly subjected Iraqi prisoners to beatings and sexually degrading acts.

In January, after a soldier tipped off investigators about abuses at Abu Ghraib, General Sanchez suspended 17 soldiers and ordered separate criminal and administrative investigations. The highest-ranking officer to be suspended was Brigadier-General Janis Karpinski, of the Army Reserve, who was responsible for all US military jails in Iraq. General Karpinski, who left Iraq earlier this year as part of a scheduled rotation of US forces, could be relieved of her command, blocked from promotion or receive a letter of reprimand after a non-criminal administrative investigation relating to events at Abu Ghraib, said Colonel Jill Morgenthaler, a military spokeswoman in Baghdad.

<snip>

In April Major-General Geoffrey Miller took over the US-run detention facilities in Iraq in the new position of deputy commander for detainee operations, reporting directly to General Sanchez. General Miller had previously overseen the detention camp at the naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, which holds hundreds of detainees from about 40 countries, many of them from the 2001 war in Afghanistan.



http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/30/1083224589166.html

[pnorman]

1. Here's from TruthOut:

U.S. Military in Iraq Iraq Torture Scandal
By Julian Borger
The Guardian U.K.

Friday 30 April 2004

Graphic photographs showing the torture and sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners in a US-run prison outside Baghdad emerged yesterday from a military inquiry which has left six soldiers facing a possible court martial and a general under investigation.

The scandal has also brought to light the growing and largely unregulated role of private contractors in the interrogation of detainees.

According to lawyers for some of the soldiers, they claimed to be acting in part under the instruction of mercenary interrogators hired by the Pentagon.
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A military report into the Abu Ghraib case - parts of which were made available to the Guardian - makes it clear that private contractors were supervising interrogations in the prison, which was notorious for torture and executions under Saddam Hussein.

One civilian contractor was accused of raping a young male prisoner but has not been charged because military law has no jurisdiction over him.

Hired guns from a wide array of private security firms are playing a central role in the US-led occupation of Iraq.

The killing of four private contractors in Falluja on March 31 led to the current siege of the city.

But this is the first time the privatisation of interrogation and intelligence-gathering has come to light. The investigation names two US contractors, CACI International Inc and the Titan Corporation, for their involvement in Abu Ghraib.

Titan, based in San Diego, describes itself as a "a leading provider of comprehensive information and communications products, solutions and services for national security". It recently won a big contract for providing translation services to the US army.

CACI, which has headquarters in Virginia, claims on its website to "help America's intelligence community collect, analyse and share global information in the war on terrorism".

Neither responded to calls for comment yesterday.

According to the military report on Abu Ghraib, both played an important role at the prison.
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"We know that CACI and Titan corporations have provided interrogators and that they have in fact conducted interrogations on behalf of the US and have interacted the military police guards at the prison," he said.

"I think it creates a laissez faire environment that is completely inappropriate. If these individuals engaged in crimes against an Iraq national - who has jurisdiction over such a crime?"

"It's insanity," said Robert Baer, a former CIA agent, who has examined the case, and is concerned about the private contractors' free-ranging role. "These are rank amateurs and there is no legally binding law on these guys as far as I could tell. Why did they let them in the prison?"

The Pentagon had no comment on the role of contractors at Abu Ghraib, saying that an inquiry was still in progress.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/050104A.shtml

pnorman

[NashVegas]

2. Woolsey?

R. James Woolsey was the director of Central
Intelligence from 1993-95. He served as an ambassador
and United States representative to the Negotiation on
Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), Vienna from
1989-91. Woolsey served as the undersecretary of the
Navy from 1977-79, and was general counsel to the U.S.
Senate Committee on Armed Services from 1970-73.

In addition, he has been an advisor in the U.S.
delegation to Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I)
in Helsinki and Vienna, an analyst with the Office of
the Secretary of Defense and National Security Council
staff, and a captain in the U.S. Army. Woolsey was a
delegate at large at the U.S.-Soviet Strategic Arms
Reduction Talks (START) and Space Arms Talks (NST). In
the private sector, he has served as director of
Martin Marietta, as well as British Aerospace,
Fairchild Industries, Titan Corporation, USF&G, Sun
Healthcare Group Inc., Yurie Systems Inc and DynCorp,
where ENRON executive Herbert S. "Pug" Winokur is on
the board as well.


Meantime, I found this job post for CACI:

http://www.intelligencecareers.com/news/index.cfm?current_article=367

Exciting Careers in the Middle East with CACI
November 2, 2003

CACI, a leading provider of information technology, logistics, intelligence analysis, and security services for today's new era of defense, intelligence and e-government, is currently seeking top performers for exciting positions in the Middle East. Candidates must be eligible and/or have an ACTIVE GOVERNMENT SECURITY CLEARANCE.

Immediate opportunities include:

CI/HUMINT Advisor:

Minimum of 10 years CI/HUMINT operational experience required, with preference to Middle East experience and language skills. Individuals must be knowledgeable of Army/Joint interrogation procedures, data processing systems such as CHIMs and SIPRNET search engines. Position requires former MOS 97B/E, 351B/E, 35E

Senior Counterintelligence Agent:

Individual must be a trained counterintelligence agent or interrogator with 10 years of experience. Individuals must be knowledgeable of Army/Joint interrogation procedures, data processing systems such as CHIMs and SIPRNET search engines. Knowledge of the Arabic language and culture a plus. Position requires former MOS 97B/E, 351B/E, 35E

Junior Counterintelligence Agents:

Individual must be a trained counterintelligence agent with at least 5 years of experience. Individuals must be knowledgeable of Army/Joint interrogation procedures, data processing systems such as CHIMs and SIPRNET search engines. Knowledge of the Arabic language and culture a plus. Position requires former MOS 97B, 351B

Junior Interrogators:

Individuals must be trained interrogators with at least 5 years of experience in interrogation. Individuals must be knowledgeable of Army/Joint interrogation procedures, data processing systems such as CHIMs and SIPRNET search engines. Knowledge of the Arabic language and culture a plus. Position requires former MOS 97E, 351E, ASI 9N and N7 desired.

[Devils Advocate NZ]

3. By the way - this is a complete lie:

One civilian contractor was accused of raping a young male prisoner but has not been charged because military law has no jurisdiction over him.

This is a complete lie - The US military is the Occupying Authority, and as such is responsible for enforcing the law. That is what gives the US the right to arrest thieves and other criminals in Iraq.

Art. 75. Fundamental guarantees

1. In so far as they are affected by a situation referred to in Article 1 of this Protocol, persons who are in the power of a Party to the conflict and who do not benefit from more favourable treatment under the Conventions or under this Protocol shall be treated humanely in all circumstances and shall enjoy, as a minimum, the protection provided by this Article without any adverse distinction based upon race, colour, sex, language, religion or belief, political or other opinion, national or social origin, wealth, birth or other status, or on any other similar criteria. Each Party shall respect the person, honour, convictions and religious practices of all such persons.

2. The following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever, whether committed by civilian or by military agents: (a) violence to the life, health, or physical or mental well-being of persons, in particular: (i) murder; (ii) torture of all kinds, whether physical or mental; (iii) corporal punishment; and (iv) mutilation;

(b) outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment, enforced prostitution and any form of indecent assault; (c) the taking of hostages; (d) collective punishments; and (e) threats to commit any of the foregoing acts.
http://www.globalissuesgroup.com/geneva/protocol1.html#75

[LittleApple81]

4. Again, one thing for sure: Miller won't allow pictures. That is the

only thing that will change.

[Minstrel Boy]

5. How long before

the first sympathetic chaplain is accused of treason?

[bobthedrummer]

6. There is a higher incidence of suicide at Gitmo, we know that...

:puke: