Composite statement: Detention in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay Shafiq Rasul, Asif Iqbal and Rhuhel Ahmed Center for Constitutional Rights July 26, 2004 see page 27 of the pdf file: http://www.ccr-ny.org/v2/reports/docs/Gitmo-compositestatementFINAL23july04.pdf
72. They were never given prayer mats and initially they didn't get a Koran. When the Korans were provided, they were kicked and thrown about by the guards and on occasion thrown in the buckets used for the toilets. This kept happening. When it happened it was always said to be an accident but it was a recurrent theme. 73. Eventually the prisoners went on hunger strike because of the way that they were treated and in particular the way their religion was treated (see below). 74. Asif says that ` it was impossible to pray because initially we did not know the direction to pray, but also given that we couldn't move and the harassment from the guards, it was simply not feasible. The behaviour of the guards towards our religious practices as well as the Koran was also, in my view, designed to cause us as much distress as possible. They would kick the Koran, throw it into the toilet and generally disrespect it. It is clear to me that the conditions in our cells and our general treatment were designed by the officers in charge of the interrogation process to "soften us up"'. see page 27 of the pdf file: http://www.ccr-ny.org/v2/reports/docs/Gitmo-compositestatementFINAL23july04.pdf --- Lawyers allege abuse of 12 at Guantanamo By Frank Davies Inquirer Washington Bureau Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005 http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/10685611.htm WASHINGTON - Twelve Kuwaitis held for about three years at the detention center at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been physically and psychologically abused, their attorneys said yesterday after their first visit with the detainees. The men were "all very thin, almost emaciated," and most were being held in isolation, with 45 minutes of exercise a week, only the Koran to read, and no medical treatment, said Tom Wilner, who visited his clients last week. Some detainees complained of religious humiliation, saying guards had defaced their copies of the Koran and, in one case, had thrown it in a toilet, said Kristine Huskey, who interviewed clients late last month. Others said that pills were hidden in their food and that people came to their cells claiming to be their attorneys, to gain information. "All have been physically abused, and, however you define the term, the treatment of these men crossed the line," Wilner said. "There was torture, make no mistake about it." Navy Lt. Cmdr. Flex Plexico said yesterday that guards went "to great lengths to accommodate the dietary needs" of the 500-plus detainees and that "expert medical attention" was provided at the temporary detention center for international terrorism suspects. Plexico said that U.S. troops on the base ate some of the same food and that the average detainee had gained 13 pounds since arriving at Guantanamo. After a recent series of reports alleging abuse, the government launched two investigations at Guantanamo, including one by the Justice Department's inspector general. Last month the government was forced to release memos showing FBI agents' complaints to supervisors that they had seen abuse. Some prisoners were chained hand and foot to the floor, with no food or water, and left in their urine and feces for 18 or more hours in very hot or very cold cells, agents' memos said. The 12 Kuwaitis were captured in Pakistan during the Afghanistan war. Their advocates say they were not involved with al-Qaeda terrorists, but U.S. agents, in declassified summaries of the Kuwaitis' cases, charge that some went through terrorist training camps and were fighting with the hard-line Taliban movement that was sheltering Osama bin Laden. The Kuwaitis are among 74 detainees who have filed habeas corpus petitions in federal court, challenging their captivity. The Supreme Court ruled in June that federal courts had jurisdiction over Guantanamo. Late yesterday, one of several judges handling the Guantanamo cases sided with the administration and dismissed a suit involving seven detainees. Other judges handling cases involving the remaining 67 prisoners have yet to rule. The matter is likely to return to the Supreme Court on appeal. Contact reporter Frank Davies at 202-383-6054 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/10685611.htm ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Would you Help a Child in need? It is easier than you think. 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