reminder:
Amnesty: Guantanamo Prisoners captured on cash reward
Amnesty International says a majority of U.S. prisoners in Guantanamo Bay were captured on a $5,000 reward.
The non-government organization said Friday that more than 85 detainees at the Cuba prison were captured by the Afghan Northern Alliance and in Pakistan when the cash rewards were offered for every unidentified terror suspect handed over to U.S. custody.
Gitmo Inmate Cuts Throat With Fingernail
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba (AP) — A Guantanamo Bay prisoner slashed his throat with a sharpened fingernail last month, spilling a lot of blood but surviving, a U.S. military commander said Tuesday.
Guards administered first-aid and took the prisoner to the prison clinic, said Navy Cmdr. Andrew Haynes, the deputy commander in charge of the guard force.
"There was an impressive effusion of blood,"Haynes told reporters visiting the base. He would not disclose the man's name or nationality. A medical officer, who could not be identified under military rules for journalists, said the prisoner received several stitches and spent a week under psychiatric observation.
Zachary Katznelson, of the British rights group Reprieve, said he was one of two lawyers representing the prisoner and identified him as an Algerian who has been held at Guantanamo without charges for nearly six years. The detainee was to meet with one of his lawyers for the first time this week.
Katznelson said he could not release the man's name without his consent.
There have been four suicides since the U.S. opened the military prison at Guantanamo in January 2002 for men suspected of involvement in terrorism or links to al-Qaida and the Taliban.
Haynes said he doubted the latest incident was a real suicide attempt, and characterized it instead as an act of "self-harm." (!!! ???? we've heard this before!!)
The incident occurred while the man was taking his daily five-minute shower in early November, around the time when more than two dozen journalists were visiting Guantanamo for a military court hearing.
Haynes said there have been up to half-dozen "self-harm incidents" in the two months he has been assigned to Guantanamo Bay. He described suicide as a "paramount tactic" used by prisoners to discredit U.S. forces. But defense lawyers and human rights groups say the suicides are a result of the prisoners' despair.
Many of the 305 men held at Guantanamo have been there for more than five years without charge. The military has said it plans to prosecute up to 80 of the prisoners. (out of all those? I mean do you think we cannot count? And the other 225? What's the DEAL!!!)
In other developments, a Guantanamo prison manual from 2004 that was posted anonymously on the Internet Tuesday indicated that some detainees were prevented from having any contact with representatives from the International Committee of the Red Cross. The military said it could not immediately confirm the document's authenticity.
The Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents many Guantanamo detainees, called on the military to make public its current operations manual following the appearance of the purported 2004 prison manual.
Restrictions about access to Red Cross officials were also described in a 2003 Guantanamo manual that was posted on the Internet last month, and which the military confirmed was authentic.
"After the release of the 2003 manual, the Pentagon claimed that the manual was replaced and the concerns raised were no longer valid," said Emi MacLean of the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights. "What we see in the 2004 manual is more of the same."
A Guantanamo spokesman, Army Lt. Col. Edward Bush, said the military has not yet confirmed that the latest posting is a real copy of the detention center's rules but added that it would be irrelevant if it were real.
"It's a snapshot from almost four years ago," Bush said. "Conditions have changed immeasurably."
The Red Cross now has "unlimited access to all aspects of the camp," he added.
The manual, dated March 2004, also provided guards with detailed instructions for intelligence gathering, urging them to listen to detainees' conversations for personal details "that can be exploited by interrogators." Guards are also warned not to discuss current events within earshot of the detainees or teach them English phrases.
Another Guantanamo spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Rick Haupt, said the military would not discuss the contents of current procedures "for reasons of personnel safety and operational security."
There's more on wikileaks
Wikileaks has released the 2004 Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) manual for Camp Delta, Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The transparency group's disclosure follows its widely reported release of the 2003 SOP manual only a few weeks ago. A comparison between the two leaks reveals changes to official US detainee policy in exquisite detail. Wikileaks has also released another related sensitive US military manual entitled "Detainee Operations in a Joint Environment", which is a defense-wide instruction manual for detainee operations including rendition flights, which has yet to be analyzed — Wikileaks invites journalists and the public to persue it.
Wikileaks journalists and leading Habeas Corpus lawyers from the Center for Constitutional Rights examined the 2004 SOP manual. Among the key details found so far are:
1. Non-compliance with the Geneva Conventions remains official US Policy,
according to leading Habeas Corpus lawyers from the Center for Constitutional Rights. Systematic denial of Red Cross access to prisoners remains. The use of dogs remains. Segregation and isolation are still used routinely and systematically – including an initial period of at least 4 weeks "to enhance and exploit the disorientation and disorganization felt by a newly arrived detainee", only terminated at the behest of interrogators. Both manuals assert that detainees will be treated in accordance with the "spirit" of the Geneva conventions "to the degree consistent with military needs", but never assert that the conventions are actually being followed at Guantanamo. Put into practice, neither manual complies with the Geneva conventions.
2. Extraordinary increases in petty restrictions.
No dictionaries or periodicals and no books about English or geography; guards are not permitted to discuss "current" affairs, even including the then year old 2003 space shuttle disaster; and no looking at 'distinguished visitors' – down to precise procedures for bodily averting detainee gaze.
3. Increased hostility towards chaplains and Red Cross.
Despite criticism from the Red Cross, the 2004 manual uses even more hostile and suspicious language towards the international humanitarian body – and is still barred from access to some detainees. Further, probably in response to the actions of James Yee, the prison chaplain who spoke out about conditions at Guantanamo Bay, new rules prevent the chaplain performing many duties without official authorization or accompaniment.
4. “Medium security” Camp 4 exposed as media sideshow.
A new chapter added rules for this separate prison, with personel required to have “excellent public relations (PR) skills”.
5. “Don't do that again!” changes provide evidence for abuses.
Many rule changes have little other explanation than as response to particular abuses, raising questions for the Pentagon. Did guards use Capsicum Spray on detainees merely for throwing water? Did guards eat portions of detainee meals? Were haircuts used as punishment? And more.
6. Changes reveal extent of suicide and self-harm attempts among detainees.
The extent and detail of these changes reveals the extent of problems among detainees – and also, the extent to which the military went to cover them up.
7. Pervasive spin via language control 'hunger strike' becomes VTF - 'voluntary total fasting'. The word “suicide” is virtually removed from the document. Even an attempted hanging requiring someone to cut down is categorized as “self-harm”, despite "self-harm" elsewhere being defined as actions that could not be fatal.
8. Some things change, but some things remain the same.
Much of the manual is unchanged. Military dogs are still used prevalently. New detainees are still placed in isolation for 4 weeks. Toilet paper is still regarded as a luxury “comfort item”. Styrofoam cups are still confiscated if written on.
See:
- Chaplain, Red Cross Muzzled at Gitmo in 2004 - article exploring the material
- A Cat May Look Upon a King, but Not at Gitmo - article exploring the material
- No WMDs, but plenty of MWDs at Gitmo in 2004 - article exploring the material
- Guantanamo Camp Delta 2003-2004 Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) forensic difference analysis - all the changes, side by side
- Camp Delta Standard Operating Procedure (2004) - the leak itself
- Camp Delta Standard Operating Procedure (2003) - the prior leak
- Guantanamo document confirms psychological torture - article and video exploring the prior leak
See also the unanalyzed document
- Detainee Operations in a Joint Environment - rush-released leak
Sample quote from this unanalyzed document:
(1) On-board the aircraft:
- (a)Detainees will be shackled (cuffed) to leg and wrist irons connected to belly irons and the aircraft.
- (b)Detainees will be blindfolded at all times.
- (c)Detainee’s gloves will remain in place at all times.
- (d)Detainees will have ear/hearing muffs on.
External links:
- Standard Operating Procedure changes at Camp Delta, Guantanamo Bay - from WikiNews
- Now Online, a Guide to Detainee Treatment - from the Washington Post
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