Tidslinje for mishandlinger

17.09.01 USA's præsident George Bush på CNN: "Their network is extensive. They have no -- there is no rules. It is barbaric behavior. They slit throats of women on airplanes, and in order to achieve an objective that is beyond comprehension, and they like to hit and then they like to hide out. But we are going to smoke them out. And we are adjusting our thinking to the new type of enemy.

21.12.01 Kandahar oprettes som Short term holding facility i følge strategypage

27.12.01 At a press conference, Secretary Rumsfeld describes the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo, commonly referred to as "Gitmo," as "the least worst" place to hold detainees.

30.12.01 Der er 124 fanger i Kandahar. De amerikanske myndigheder fortæller at flere af dem skal flyttes til GTMO.

10.01.02 De danske specialstyrker ankommer til Kandahar.

10.01.02 De første fanger sendes fra Kandahar til Guantanamo.

10.01.02 Rapport af en komite nedsat den britiske regering:
"Intelligence and Security Committee The Handling of Detainees by  UK Intelligence Personnel in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and Iraq."
"46. On 10 January 2002, the first day that the SIS had access to US-held detainees, an SIS officer conducted an interview of a detainee. Whilst he was satisfied that there was nothing during the interview which could have been a breach of the Geneva Conventions, he reported back to London his:

"... observations on the circumstances of the handling of [the]detainee by the US military before the beginning of the interview. *** *** ***. ***  ***  ***." 11 47.

These comments raised concerns about the US treatment of detainees and the following day - 11 January 2002 - instructions were sent to the SIS officer and copied to all SIS and Security Service officers in Afghanistan, as follows:

"With regard to the status of the prisoners, under the various Geneva Conventions and protocols, all prisoners, however they are described, are entitled to the same levels of protection.

You have commented on their treatment. It appears from your description that they may not be being treated in accordance with the appropriate standards. Given that they are not within our custody or control, the law does not require you to intervene to prevent this. That said, HMG's stated commitment to human rights makes it important that the Americans understand that we cannot be party to such ill treatment nor can we be seen to condone it. In no case should they be coerced during or in conjunction with an SIS interview of them. If circumstances allow, you should consider drawing this to the attention of a suitably senior US official locally.

It is important that you do not engage in any activity yourself that involves inhumane or degrading treatment of prisoners. As a representative of a UK public authority, you are obliged to act in accordance with the Human Rights Act 2000 which prohibits torture, or inhumane or degrading treatment. Also as a Crown Servant, you are bound by Section 31 of the Criminal Justice Act 1948, which makes acts carried out overseas in the course of your official duties subject to UK criminal law. In other words, your actions incur criminal liability in the same way as if you were carrying out those acts in the UK."

17.01.02 Frank Lissner skriver i følge vores oplysninger i en SIT REP at
forholdene var identiske med afhøringsøvelser i Danmark. I følge DR's oplysninger forklarer Frank Lissner senere, at det var en beskrivelse af set-up'et og ikke en skjult indberetning om mishandling.

17.01.02 Den danske tolk udlånes til den amerikanske fangelejr i Kandahar.

19.01.02 USAs forsvarsminister Donald Rumsfeld nedfælder USA's beslutning om at suspenmdere Geneve-konventionen i et memo til alle sine "commanders":
"The United States has determined that Al Qaeda and Taliban individuals under the control of the Department of Defence are not entitled to prisoner of war status for purposes of the Geneva Conventions of 1949."

23.01.02 USA og to andre koalitionspartnere angriber 2 bygninger i Oruzgun provinsen nord for Kandahar. Mellem 16-21 afghanere dræbes. Afghanske vidner beskriver angrebet som en massakre og siger at flere blev skudt mens de endnu lå i deres senge.

Vidner siger også at flere dræbte findes bagbundet med amerikanske plastik håndjern.
Et amerikansk referat af angrebet siger, at afghanere skød på amerikanerne og det derfor udviklede sig voldsomt. Eneste skade på amerikanerne side var en soldat, der havde slået sin ankel.

Som en mulig forklaring på de bagbundne lig, siger amerikanerne at de muligvis har bagbundet sårede afghanere, som efterfølgende er døde.

Der bliver også taget 27 fanger.
Efterfølgende er en dansk tolk involveret i sagen om de 27 fanger, som han i følge en amerikansk afhøringofficer får løsladt 2 uger senere.

Det viste sig at hele angrebet var en fejl. Alle afghanerne var allierede og CIA udbetaler 1000 $ i erstatsning for hver af de dræbte.

I følge vores oplysninger fortæller en amerikanske kommando-soldat bagefter den danske tolk, at en amerikaner havde skudt en afghanske fange og og at det i følge amerikanerne var acceptabelt at skyde en fange, der har skudt på amerikanske soldater.

31.01.02 Rapport af en komite nedsat den britiske regering:
"58. We have been told that in the margins of the 31 January 2002 meeting of Permanent Secretaries, what were reported to us as being "anecdotal reports, some second or third hand, of 'undue exuberance' by American personnel at Guantanamo Bay" 13 were mentioned.
The Permanent Secretary at the FCO sought more details but the Security Service could add nothing to the original comment.

06.02.02 De 27 fanger fra Oruzgun løslades.

08.02.02 Den danske tolk stopper hos amerikanerne.

11.02.02 Washington Post og New York Times og LA Times beskriver mishandlinger af de 27 fanger fra Oruzgun.

New York Times: "Released Afghans Tell of beatings"

Washington Post: "Villagers Released by American Troops Say They Were Beaten.

Los Angeles Times: U.S. Forces Beat Afghans After Deadly Assault, Ex-Prisoners Say

13.02.02 Politiken skriver om fangermishandlingerne fra Oruzgun.
"Afghanske fanger fik tæsk"

13.02.02 Danske specialstyrker deltager i jagten på den tidligere taliban
minister Mullah Khairullah Kahirkhawa, og pågriber i den forbindelse 3 mænd og en dreng på 10 år. De 3 mænd bliver overdraget til amerikansk varetægt mens drengen tilbageholdes i den danske lejr. Alle 4 frigives dagen efter.

Tidlig 02 Fra Human Rights Watch rapport "Enduring Freedom"  Abuses by U.S. Forces in Afghanistan.

Interview med M.S.M
"Human Rights Watch interviewed a Pakistani fighter with the Taliban   who was held at the Kandahar airport in early 2002 and later taken to Guantanamo. He said he was beaten and kicked by U.S. troops in transport to Kandahar and while there. (Interview med M.S.M) He was released from Guantanamo in July 2003."

Interview med A.Z.
"Another Pakistani man, who was arrested in Pakistan by U.S. forces and taken to Kandahar in early 2002 (he was later sent to Guantanamo and was released in 2003), said he was beaten during an interrogation at Kandahar."

Interview med S.K. [name withheld]. Discussing how he was initially detained by U.S. forces and then transported by air from western Afghanistan to Kandahar airbase in early 2002:
"They behaved very rude with me after the plane landed in Kandahar. It was cold and they threw us on the desert for more than an hour. Then some army men came and took us inside. Getting us inside the room there were some guards ready, and they were beating us mercilessly, without any reason. They were kicking and punching us. Mostly they were beating us on our backs."

"Testimonies taken by Human Rights Watch in Afghanistan show that many detainees were beaten during the initial stages of detention. Detainees who were held in Kandahar airport in early 2002 reported being stripped naked, kicked and punched, and forced to endure freezing temperatures."

Marts 02 Rapport af en komite nedsat den britiske regering:
"52. We have been told that in March 2002 an SIS officer in Afghanistan was told ***  *** . The SIS officer returned the matter back to London but no action was taken either locally or by the SIS in London. Again we were told that this was because it was regarded as an isolated incident. Ministers were not informed of this matter until August 2004." 

17.03.02 De danske specialstyrker tager 31 afghanere til fange i Sangesar

21.03.02 I følge Associated Press journalist Charles Hanley blev de 31 fangerne er løsladt:
"In fact, the men were not released until late Thursday (21.03) morning, according to the detainees as well as a knowledgeable U.S. military source in Afghanistan."

23.03.02 AP skriver om anklager om fangemishandlinger af de 31 fanger som danskerne har taget:

"Afghans claim abuse by U.S. forces"

15.04.02 Anklagerne beskrives i Amnesty rapport fra 15. april 2002:
"Memorandum on the rights of people in US custody in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay"

"Amnesty International is also concerned by recent reports of the alleged ill-treatment of Afghan villagers by US soldiers in the context of a raid on a compound near Kandahar on 17 March 2002.  The US authorities stated that they detained 31 people in the compound. The detainees were released after it was established that they were members of neither the Taleban nor al-Qa'ida. The detainees have alleged that they were ill-treated by US soldiers. Those interviewed by journalists said that they surrendered and tried to explain that they were allies, but were either misunderstood or ignored. According to reports, "the men said that their feet were bound, their hands tied behind their backs and black hoods placed over their heads while US soldiers punched and kicked them. Many of the 18 men who gathered to describe what happened showed a variety of cuts and bruises they said they had received during the beatings. In all, they said, 34 men at the outpost were taken into custody... "The men said that they were driven to the Kandahar base, where they were made to lie on their stomachs on rocky ground and kicked in the back.  It is alleged that the detainees had their beards and heads shaved by the military. For the next four days, the men were allegedly held in 10 by five metre cages, each holding between 10 and 18 people, with buckets as toilets.

Fra Amnesty International årsrapport for 2003:

"On 17 March (2002), at least 31 men were arbitrarily arrested and detained when US soldiers raided a compound near Kandahar. They were subsequently released when it was established that they were civilians. The detainees alleged they were ill-treated by US soldiers. They said that they were punched and kicked while their hands were tied behind their backs and hoods placed over their heads, and that US soldiers walked on their backs as the detainees lay on their stomachs. It was alleged that the detainees had their body hair shaved by US military officers. For the next few days between 10 and 18 detainees were held in cages measuring 5m by 10m, with buckets for toilets."

Mishandlingerne er også beskrevet i Amnesti International rapport 19. august 2003 "The Threat of a bad example"

April 02 Rapport af en komite nedsat den britiske regering:
"53. In April 2002 "an SIS officer was present at an interview
conducted by the US military of a detainee in Afghanistan who complained of time in isolation and who had previously had a nervous breakdown. The detainee was aware that he was in isolation for his own protection *** ***. The SIS officer asked the US officer in charge of the interview for better treatment"

Maj 02 Fra Amnesty International rapport 19. august 2003 "The Threat of a bad example":
 "Alif Khan said that he was then transferred to Kandahar Air Base where he was held for 25 days. Again he was held in handcuffs, shackles and waist chains, for most of the time. Although he was allowed to sleep, he said that there were many interruptions, including for interrogations twice or three times every day, and by the constant noise of aircraft. He added that he was subjected to daily intimate body searches, in what he described to Amnesty International as being "searched from both sides"."

Juni 02 Rapport af en komite nedsat den britiske regering:
"54. In June 2002, the Security Service discussed with FCO officials a US report that referred to the hooding, withholding of blankets and sleep deprivation of a detainee in Afghanistan. The matter was raised promptly with the US authorities, although there is no record that any further action was taken or that the matter was pursued by either the Security Service or the FCO. The Security Service has stated that the general terms of this report were raised with Ministers in late 2002 (although no Minister has confirmed this) and the specifics of the case were not drawn to Ministers'attention until June 2004."

Juli 02 Fra Human Rights Watch rapport "Enduring Freedom"  Abuses by U.S. Forces in Afghanistan:
"A photojournalist who accompanied Special Forces and soldiers from the U.S. 82nd Airborne during operations in eastern Afghanistan in July 2002 told Human Rights Watch that Special Forces referred to the Kandahar airbase as "Camp Slappy," and that U.S. forces would threaten uncooperative persons encountered during raids, suggesting that they might be sent there: "We tell them they can either cooperate or go to Camp Slappy," a Special Forces soldier told the journalist.
(Human Rights Watch telephone interview with Tomas van Houtryve, February 3, 2004. See also Tomas van Houtryve, "Prisoners of America," International Relations Journal, San Francisco State University, Spring 2003.)"

Juli 02 Rapport af en komite nedsat den britiske regering: 
55. In July 2002, a Security Service officer reported to senior management that whilst in Afghanistan a US official had referred to "getting a detainee ready", which appeared to involve sleep deprivation, hooding and the use of stress positions. The officer reported that they had commented to the US official that this was inappropriate but that the Security Service's senior management took no further action. We were told that this was primarily because the report was based on second-hand information and the Security Service had raised the general point the previous month. The detainee, when reinterviewed later that month, provided a list of grievances, which included the use of constant bright lights. The Security Service officer raised the complaints with the US officer in charge of the facility at the time but no further follow-up action was taken. Ministers were not informed about this case until June 2004.

27.07.02 Fra FBI dokumenter. (datoen er tidspunktet for interviewet, den påståede mishandling er foregået tidligere)
Kan læses på www.aclu.org/torturefoia/released/052505/

DETAINEES 3871-3872
Summary of FBI interview of detainee at Guantanamo Bay
07/27/02
Records  detainee stating that he was "treated  harshly by U.S. soldiers at Peshawar and Kandahar. He was beaten on the head, chest, back, hands and feet. He could hear people screaming and shouting but could not see them because his face was covered. He was put face down on the ground."

18.08.02 Fra FBI dokumenter. (datoen er tidspunktet for interviewet, den påståede mishandling er foregået tidligere)

Kan læses på www.aclu.org/torturefoia/released/052505/

DETAINEES 4069-4074
Summary of FBI interview of detainee at Guantanamo  Bay
08/18/02
Noted  that "REDACTED explained that during  his detention by the U.S. military in Kandahar, Afghanistan, he was beaten  by some guards as he was laying face down on the ground. He stated that  he was not resisting, and was beaten for apparently no reason."

23.08.02 Fra FBI dokumenter. (datoen er tidspunktet for interviewet, den påståede mishandling er foregået tidligere)

Kan læses på www.aclu.org/torturefoia/released/052505/

DETAINEES 3882-3883
Summary of FBI interview of detainee at Guantanamo  Bay
08/23/02
Notes, "[w]hen  REDACTED was turned over to US authorities, he was beaten by the US military  forces. REDACTED was turned over to US authorities REDACTED.
He was taken by helicopter to an unknown location where he was beaten. While his eyes were covered, he was kicked in the stomach and back by several individuals.  He noted American English accents. After being moved to an unknown facility in Bagram, his head was placed against the cement floor and his head was kicked. As a result of other beatings in Bagram, REDACTED received a broken shoulder. During one evening REDACTED was left outside of the facility where he was being held. The ground was wet and it was snowing.  He was wearing only pants and a ragged shirt. As a result of being out in the cold, he became unconscious. . . . . When he was moved to Kandahar, he was not beaten as frequently and severely. Periodically, REDACTED was kicked and pushed. He was dragged three times to interrogations.  On one occasion during prayer time, a soldier placed his foot on REDACTED head and sat on his head. REDACTED stated that the soldiers wore tan and brown camouflage uniforms, with US flags on their arms."

24.08.02 Fra FBI dokumenter. (datoen er tidspunktet for interviewet, den påståede mishandling er foregået tidligere)

Kan læses på www.aclu.org/torturefoia/released/052505/

DETAINEES 4075-4076
Summary of FBI interview of detainee at Guantanamo Bay
08/24/02
Noted that "REDACTED explained that during his detention by the U.S. military in Kandahar, Afghanistan, he was beaten by some guards as he was laying face down on the ground. He stated that he was not resisting, and was beaten for apparently no reason."

24.08.02 Fra FBI dokumenter. (datoen er tidspunktet for interviewet, den påståede mishandling er foregået tidligere)

Kan læses på www.aclu.org/torturefoia/released/052505/

DETAINEES 3884
Summary of FBI interview of detainee at Guantanamo Bay
08/24/02
Notes, "REDACTED explained that during his detention by the US military in Kandahar, Afghanistan, he was beaten by some guards as he was lying face down on the ground. He stated that he was not resisting, and was beaten for apparently no reason. REDACTED further stated that there were other guards that treated him very well."

27.08.02 Fra FBI dokumenter. (datoen er tidspunktet for interviewet, den påståede mishandling er foregået tidligere)

Kan læses på www.aclu.org/torturefoia/released/052505/
DETAINEES 3890-3891
Summary of FBI interview of detainee at Guantanamo Bay
08/27/02
Notes, "[w]hile in custody of the United States in Kandahar, Afghanistan, REDACTED stated  that he had been beaten. After being asked to clarify exactly what had happened, REDACTED stated that the normal procedure, to leave his cell to be interviewed, was to lay on the floor face down and be handcuffed behind the back. On certain occasions, the guards would place on of their boots on REDACTED's back while handcuffing him. While this was happening another guard would hold down his feet. The floor was dirt and the rocks would cause him discomfort. "

28.08.02  Fra Human Rights Watch rapport "Enduring Freedom"  Abuses by U.S. Forces in Afghanistan.
An Afghan detainee known as "M. Sayari" was killed by four U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan in August 2002. According to Department of Defense documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union as part of a Freedom of Information Act request, a captain and three sergeants "murdered Mr. [Sayari] after detaining him for following their movements in Afghanistan." A U.S. Army spokesperson told journalists that the Special Forces Command had declined to prosecute any of the four, and that one of the four soldiers received an "administrative reprimand."

11.10.02 GTMO officials anmoder Pentagon om afhøringsmetoder der går ud over  "Army field manual".

17.10.02 The Guardian skriver at lederen af GTMO Rick Baccus er blevet fyret fordi han er for blød ved fangerne. Efterfølgende får General Geoffrey Miller ansvaret for lejren.

Nov. 02  Fra Human Rights Watch "Afghanistan: Killing and Torture by U.S. Predate Abu Ghraib"
"The CIA was reportedly involved in the torture and killing of a detainee in Afghanistan. A CIA case officer at the "Salt Pit," a secret U.S.-run prison just north of Kabul, ordered guards to "strip naked an uncooperative young Afghan detainee, chain him to the concrete floor and leave him there overnight without blankets," the Washington Post reported on March 3, after interviewing four government officials familiar with the case.

According to the article, Afghan guards "paid by the CIA and working under CIA supervision" dragged the prisoner around the concrete floor of the facility, "bruising and scraping his skin," before placing him in a cell for the night without clothes. An autopsy by a medic listed "hypothermia" as the cause of death, and the man was buried in an "unmarked, unacknowledged cemetery." A U.S. government official interviewed told the Post: "He just disappeared from the face of the earth."

02.12.02 Rumsfeld tillader nye afhøringsmetoder. Det drejer sig bl.a. om stres positioner, hoodding, 20 timers afhøringer, fjernelse af tøj, udnyttelse af fobier incl at skræmme med hunde, forlængelse af isolation (30 dage) , sensory deprivation og forced grooming.

Tvangsbarbering, afklædning under forhør, let fysisk vold. Disse metoder spræder sig hurtigt til Afghanistan og senere til Irak. (men den 15.01.03 tilbagekalder Rumsfeld sin godkendelse - han nedsætter en arbejdesgruppe og 3 måneder senere godkender Rumsfeld 23 nye afhøringsteknikker)

12.12.02 FBI klager til Pentagon over mishandlinger på GTMO

05.12.02  2 fanger dræbes på Bagram basen. Dilawar og Habibullah. Sagerne bliver stemplet som "Homiside".

Fangevogteren Willy Brandt dømmes for at gennembanket dem, men ikke for selve drabene.

26.12.02 Washington Post skriver om systematiske overgreb i Bagram incl. "stress and duress".
"U.S. Decries Abuse but Defends Interrogations. Stress and Duress' Tactics Used on Terrorism Suspects Held in Secret Overseas Facilities"

Jan. 03 I følge Human Rights First: The Case Against Rumsfeld: Hard Facts Timeline "Judge Advocates repeatedly object to aggressive interrogation techniques at Guantanamo but -Pentagon officials "didn't think this was a big deal, so they just ignored the JAGs.'"

24.01.03 Afghanistan Commander forwards list of techniques being used in Afghanistan, including some inconsistent with Army Field Manual, to inform Rumsfeld's Working Group, including the use of dogs to induce fear, the use of stress positions, and sensory deprivation.

16.03.03 Fra en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamal_Naseer:
"Jamal Naseer was an Afghan man who died on March 16, 2003 while in custody at a U.S. special forces base in Gardez. An investigation was opened by the U.S. military in mid-September 2004 to investigate whether the cause of death involved abuse by U.S. soldiers.

He was 18 years old at the time of death. He had been in custody for seventeen days. Others held at the time said they were "beaten, hung upside down and struck repeatedly with sticks, rubber hoses and cables." Some alleged they were "immersed in cold water, made to lie in the snow, or subjected to electric shocks." After Naseer's death, the other detainees were transferred to Afghan police custody."

04.04.03 Working Group issues final report; recommends 35 interrogation techniques to Rumsfeld, including techniques from Afghanistan inconsistent with Army Field Manual.

16.04.03 Rumsfeld approves 24 of the recommended techniques for use at Guantanamo, including dietary and environmental manipulation, sleep adjustment, false flag and isolation.

Maj 03 Red Cross reports 200 cases of alleged detainee abuse in U.S. custody in Iraq to U.S. Central Command.

Jun-jul 03 I følge ACLU. http://www.aclu.org/rumsfeld/bios/1.html
Afghan citizens Mehboob Ahmad, Said Nabi Siddiqi, Mohammed Karim Shirullah and Haji Abdul Rahman detained and abused at U.S.-held Kandahar and Bagram facilities.

21.06.03 I følge en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Wali
Abdul Wali was an Afghan man who died in US custody on June 21, 2003, aged 28. At the time of his death, he had been held for three days at the US base 10 miles south of Asadabad, in Kunar province, Afghanistan, on suspicion of involvement in a rocket attack on the same base. The cause of his death was at first reported to be a heart attack, but this came into question when three members of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division came forward to testify that CIA contractor David Passaro assaulted Wali. David Passaro, a former Special Forces medic who worked under contract with the CIA, is the first civilian to be charged with abusing a detainee in the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Passaro beat Abdul Wali for two consecutive nights, leading him to plead with prison guards to shoot him to end his suffering. Among other injuries, Wali suffered a suspected fractured pelvis that would have made it impossible for him to urinate. Passaro was also said to have kicked Abdul Wali in the groin in a football style kick that sent Wali in the air. Passaro worked at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan that was frequently subject to rocket attacks. Wali, a suspect in the attacks, turned himself in voluntarily at the gates of the base and was then interrogated. After Wali lost consciousness Passaro performed mouth-to-mouth in an unsuccessful bid to revive him. Passaro has since been charged of two counts of assault using his hands/feet and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon (the flashlight) on Wali in June 2003. He has pleaded not guilty and the case is currently on trial.

Jul 03 I følge Human Rights First:
Captain of unit responsible for killing two detainees in Afghanistan proposes interrogation techniques for Abu Ghraib, including stress positions, removal of clothing, lengthy isolation, sensory and sleep deprivation and use of dogs. Lt. Gen. Sanchez approves techniques.

31.08.03 Donald Rumsfeld sender chefen for Guantanamo General Miller til Irak for "Guantanamoisere" fængslerne. Hårdere afhøringsmetoder tages i brug.

Sep. 03 Lt. Gen. Sanchez authorizes 29 interrogation techniques for use in Iraq, including the use of dogs, stress positions, sensory deprivation, loud music and light control, based on Rumsfeld's April 16 techniques and suggestions from captain of military unit formerly in Afghanistan.

25.09.03 Sher Mohammad Khan dør i amerikanernes varetægt i nærheden af Khost. (Ialt 9 fanger er nu død ii amerikanernes varetægt - i 4 af tilfældene har den amerikanske hær selv kaldt det "murder or manslaughter"

Okt.-dec. 03 Torture and serious abuses of detainees take place at Abu Ghraib.

12.11.03 Human Rights First writes Rumsfeld as well as Afghan field commander requesting status of investigations into the deaths of detainees in U.S. custody in Afghanistan in 2002. (Willy Brandt)

Dec. 03 U.S. Army report details abuses committed against detainees in Iraq by task force of military Special Operations and CIA officers, known as Task Force 121.

13.01.04 Joseph Darby gives Army criminal investigators CD containing the Abu Ghraib photographs depicting detainee torture and abuses. Rumsfeld informed.

24.02.04 Red Cross issues confidential report to Coalition. Provisional Authority documenting widespread abuse and command failures to take corrective action.

26.02.04 Maj. Gen. Taguba completes investigation; reports of "systematic and sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses" at Abu Ghraib.

08.03.02 HRW udkommer med rapport; Enduring Freedom: Abuses by U.S. Force in Afghanistan.

24.04.04 Abu Ghraib skandalen ruller.

24.05.04 By John Barry, Michael Hirsh and Michael Isikoff Newsweek International

May 24 - It's not easy to get a member of Congress to stop talking. Much less a room full of them. But as a small group of legislators watched the images flash by in a small, darkened hearing room in the Rayburn Building last week, a sickened silence descended. There were 1,800 slides and several videos, and the show went on for three hours. The nightmarish images showed American soldiers at Abu Ghraib Prison forcing Iraqis to masturbate. American soldiers sexually assaulting Iraqis with chemical light sticks. American soldiers laughing over dead Iraqis whose bodies had been abused and mutilated. There was simply nothing to say.
"It was a very subdued walk back to the House floor," said Rep. Jane Harman, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. "People were ashen."