A new FBI report alleges possible abuses of detainees being held at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo, Cuba:
WASHINGTON — FBI agents documented more than two dozen incidents of possible mistreatment at the Guantanamo Bay military base, including one detainee whose head was wrapped in duct tape for chanting the Quran and another who pulled out his hair after hours in a sweltering room.
Documents released Tuesday by the FBI offered new details about the harsh interrogation practices used by military officials and contractors when questioning so-called enemy combatants.
The reports describe a female guard who detainees said handled their genitals and wiped menstrual blood on their face. Another interrogator reportedly bragged to an FBI agent about dressing as a Catholic priest and “baptizing” a prisoner.
Some military officials and contractors told FBI agents that the interrogation techniques had been approved by the Defense Department, including directly by former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.
There’s no indication of who these detainees were, or what purpose these rather unique detention techniques were intended to serve, but it seems to me that we are coming very close to crossing a line here. While I have serious doubts about the continued wisdom of the Iraq War, I continue to wholeheartedly support what the Bush Administration (ill-advisedly, I think) calls the War on Terror. There is no question that there are people out there who would like to hit us again, and they need to be stopped and destroyed.
That said, the humane treatment of prisoners in combat has always been something that the U.S. military has prided itself. It is, to say the least, distressing to hear reports like this of degrading treatment that doesn’t seem to serve any legitimate purpose.
