New Torture Allegations at Abu Ghraib
Posted on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 10:53:26 AM EST
Tags: Abu Ghraib (all tags)
Michael Keller is a computer programmer from Tampa who joined the Florida National Guard where he was in charge of oversight at Abu Ghraib prison. His goal was to protect the inmates. He has written a new book, Torture Central: E-mails from Abu Ghraib. From the St. Petersburg Times:
Keller provides new details of the torture he witnessed at Abu Ghraib.
"The detainee is then laid flat on a medical litter, and another litter is placed on top of them producing a sandwich effect," he wrote in Torture Central: E-mails from Abu Ghraib. "The two litters are then tightened together with ratchet straps, creating a vice. The detainee remains crushed between the litters for one hour, with the guard checking every 15 minutes to ensure that the detainee still has a pulse."
There were other abuses, including those involving children: [More...]
Keller writes that the facility was full of children, most of whom had been denied due process. One had been arrested for running toward Marines while trying to retrieve a soccer ball.
"We have two 12-year-old children who were arrested by Marines and have been in Abu over 9 months," he writes. "Their arrest record (written by the arresting Marines) simply reads 'Reason for Arrest: Because we were bored.'"
In addition, the book says, medical information was kept in an inadequate spreadsheet; as a result, more than one diabetic inmate died after failing to get an insulin shot. Keller says he offered to build a database to fix the problem, but officials would not approve it.
Abu Ghraib, like Guantanamo, will forever be a stain on our national legacy. Along with the War in Iraq, it should be the first thing children in school are taught about the presidency of George W. Bush.
All of TalkLeft's coverage of Abu Ghraib is accessible here.
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