white male consumer

US memo shows Iraq jail methods

The top US general in Iraq authorised interrogation techniques including the use of dogs, stress positions and disorientation, a memo has shown.

The document was obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union through the US Freedom of Information Act.

The September 2003 document is signed by the then commander of US forces in Iraq, Gen Ricardo Sanchez.

The ACLU says the measures go beyond generally accepted practice and says Gen Sanchez should be made accountable.

The memo authorised techniques including putting prisoners in stressful positions, using loud music and light control, and changing sleeping patterns.

It also authorised the presence of muzzled military working dogs to, as the memo puts it, “exploit Arab fear of dogs while maintaining security during interrogations”.
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This reminds me of something Seymour Hersh talked about last week when I saw him. He was talking about other pictures that he has, pictures that were too graphic to publicly release. One series showed a naked Iraqi prisoner, cowering while a dog snapped and bit at him, just out of reach. The dog was then released.

Even though evidence like this suggests that the systematic torture occuring throughout Afghanistan and Iraq came from the highest reaches of the military – extending into the White House – we really shouldn’t expect anyone to be brought to justice besides a few low-level grunts.