Originally published June 8 2005
Guantanamo prisoners tell of abuses in recently released tribunal transcripts
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Tribunal transcripts from prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were recently released to The Associated Press after a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The transcripts describe numerous forced confessions and torture. Prisoners also describe how interrogators beat and abused them in order to get a confession. During these tribunals, hastily established in June of this year as the result of international animosity, prisoners were appointed military attorneys but were not allowed their own lawyers.
Another detainee claimed U.S. troops stripped prisoners in Afghanistan and intimidated them with dogs so they would admit to militant activity.
Tales of alleged abuse and forced confessions are among some 1,000 pages of tribunal transcripts the U.S. government released to The Associated Press under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit - the second batch of documents the AP has received in 10 days.
The testimonies offer a glimpse into the secretive world of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where about 520 men from 40 countries remain held, accused of having links to Afghanistan's ousted Taliban regime or Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network.
Whether the stories are true may never be known.
And it wasn't immediately clear how many abuse allegations had been logged from the tribunals or how many of them had been investigated.
Dozens of complaints have surfaced from detention missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo, but the government couldn't offer a breakdown Monday.
She said tribunal members are supposed to forward abuse allegations to the Joint Task Force running the detention mission, which then forwards them to U.S. Southern Command in Miami.
The tribunals were hastily established after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that Guantanamo prisoners could challenge their detentions before U.S. courts, dealing a blow to the government's argument that as foreigners on foreign soil they had no legal recourse.
One man claimed he was working with the Americans and the U.S.-backed Northern Alliance.
Another Muslim prisoner from Uzbekistan talked of abuse he had suffered and how he was given a Bible - not a Quran.
The testimonies also brought up allegations that interrogators - hastily recruited after the Sept. 11 terror attacks - may have manipulated the confessions.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml