Pentagon inspector general orders Guantanamo probe
Reuters
Friday, October 13, 2006; 12:55 PM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon's Inspector General ordered an investigation into alleged abuse at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay that holds suspected Taliban and al Qaeda members, a spokesman said on Friday.
The order followed a statement last week from a U.S. Marine saying Guantanamo guards described physically and mentally abusing detainees, including slamming one inmate's head into a cell door and denying others privileges just to anger them.
The Marine's sworn statement was released by lawyers for detainees last week. The inspector general's office, which serves as the Pentagon's internal watchdog agency, received the Marine's affidavit and letter by e-mail on Tuesday, the spokesman said.
The case was referred to Miami-based U.S. Southern Command, which is responsible for the prison at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. No deadline has been set for the investigation's conclusion, the spokesman said.
more at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/13/AR2006101300773.htmlHere’s more from ThinkProgress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/10/13/gitm o-abuse/
VIDEO: Marine Sergeant Reports Detainee Abuse At Guantanamo Bay
President Bush has consistently touted the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay as a “model prison,” saying the American people should “take great pride” in the facility.
But a sworn statement by Marine Sgt. Heather Cerveny paints an entirely different picture. Cerveny has described how “she met several Navy prison guards at a club on the base where, over drinks, they described harsh physical abuse” of Gitmo detainees. The guards alledgedly told Cerveny of practices including “hitting the detainee’s head into the cell door” and “punching
in the face.” The Pentagon Inspector General today announced a new investigation into the claims.
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