WASHINGTON, 2 April 2005 — The highest-ranking US general in Iraq authorized the use of interrogation techniques that included intimidation through the use of dogs “to exploit Arab fears” of them, stress positions, and sensory deprivation.
A total of 29 interrogation techniques were approved, including 12 which “far exceeded” US military regulations as well as the Geneva Conventions covering prisoners of war.
The Sanchez memo, which was sent to the commander of the US Central Command, authorized techniques of isolation and sleep and food deprivation to break down prisoners, stated that the Iraq interrogation policy was modeled on the one used at Guant?namo Bay “but modified for applicability to a theater of war in which the Geneva conventions apply.”
Lt. Gen. Sanchez stepped down from his job leading US forces in Iraq in July 2004 following revelations of torture in Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison, in which US forces physically abused and sexually humiliated Iraqi prisoners at a jail on the outskirts of Baghdad, which occurred during his command. Gen. George Casey replaced him as top commander in Iraq nine months ago.
Rumors of the existence of the memo arose following Abu Ghraib. The ACLU obtained it from the Defense Department last week. A US court ordered the papers’ release under the American Freedom of Information Act; and the ACLU released it to the press late Tuesday.
Gen. Sanchez ordered that his personal approval should be gained before the most controversial techniques were used, but has denied that he gave that permission. The ACLU has a lawsuit pending against Gen. Sanchez alleging direct responsibility for the torture and abuse of detainees in US military custody.
“The memo clearly establishes that Gen. Sanchez authorized unlawful interrogation techniques for use in Iraq, and, in particular, these techniques violate the Geneva conventions and the army’s own field manual governing interrogations,” ACLU lawyer Amrit Singh said in a statement. “He and other high-ranking officials who bear responsibility for the widespread abuse of detainees must be held accountable.”
The US administration consistently said any abuse was the result of improper individual action and not sanctioned by leaders, and refused to release the memo on national security grounds.
The memo also authorized techniques to alter the environment of prisoners, such as adjusting temperatures or introducing unpleasant smells, in the full knowledge that “some nations may view application of this technique in certain circumstances to be inhumane”. Another technique, called “fear-up harsh”, aimed at “significantly increasing the fear level of a detainee”, was also given the green light.
Yelling, loud music and light control were also cleared “to create fear, disorientate (the) detainee and prolong capture shock”.
The Sept. 14, 2003 memo also laid out guidance for when the controversial interrogation techniques could be used. It stated there should be “a reasonable basis to believe that the detainee possesses critical intelligence”. Dogs should be muzzled and under the control of a military dog handler “to prevent contact with (the) detainee”.
Rejecting suggestions that the memo’s release was stalled to avoid embarrassment, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld insisted Tuesday that the department maintains “full transparency,” mitigated only by the demands of national security.
Rumsfeld told reporters he did not see how releasing the documents could harm national security.
“The lawyers go through all of that, and they make the decisions,” he said at a Pentagon press conference. He denied, however, that the Pentagon’s resistance was motivated by fear of embarrassment.
