Witness: Dogs Bit Abu Ghraib Detainees

[Barrett808]

Witness: Dogs Bit Abu Ghraib Detainees
By DAVID DISHNEAU, Associated Press Writer

FORT MEADE, Md. - Two Iraqis at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison were bitten by dogs as they were being handled by sergeants who were competing to see who could scare more detainees, a witness testified Tuesday.

Pvt. Ivan L. "Chip" Frederick II — himself convicted of abusing inmates at the military prison — testified by phone in the Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury proceeding, for Sgts. Santos A. Cardona and Michael J. Smith.

The Army had announced the hearing on Monday.

A dog handled by Cardona bit a detainee on both thighs, severely enough to require stitches, Frederick said. A dog handled by Smith bit an inmate on one of his wrists, but not hard enough to the break the skin, he said.

Frederick also said he heard both defendants say they were competing, using their dogs, to see how many detainees they could frighten into urinating on themselves.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050726/ap_on_re_us/prisoner_abuse_dogs

[Frederik]

1. Seymour Hersh said this as well

Some of the pictures that were not released show dogs biting detainees.

[lumpy]

8. There was a picture released in the

first batch of pictures of a man who was bitten. Obvious wounds and blood all over the floor.

[soup]

10. Thought so, too.

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT

As loathe as I was to revisit them, it's the last picture here:

http://www.theiraqmonitor.org/article/view/25554.html

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT

Literally makes me physically ill.

[lumpy]

16. Doesn't take much

imagination to realize that the pictures & videos being suppessed are much worse. A nightmare. I cannot believe that this brutal torture against prisoners by US forces has ever existed before. To think that people in this country would ever condon or turn a blind eye to this abomination against captive human bings is more than depressively sickening. How can we have faith in our leadership, the military and their underlings who cheerfully carry out such atrocities?

[0007]

20. Here they are;

An unmuzzled dog appears to be used to frighten a detainee at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Two military dog handlers told investigators that intelligence
personnel ordered them to use dogs to intimidate prisoners.


An Iraqi detainee appears to be restrained after havign suffered injuries to both legs at Abu Ghraib.
It is unclear whether his injuries were from dog bites.



A US soldier gives the "thumbs up" sign as she appears to be stiching up a prisoner's leg wound.
It is unclear whether the injury was from a dog bite.

[radwriter0555]

2. But they could NEVER set bombs in market places or on civilian vehicles

to stage 'suicide bombs'.. now could they....? They were just following orders.

[lumpy]

17. I now believe the military with a wink

from leadership is capable of doing any animalistic act against humanity. Truth doesn't exist for us any longer. The evolution of human conscience stopped with the Neanderthall and I doubt the Neaderthall would have enjoyed such bloodlust.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Remember folks that is

former sergenat Ivan L "Vhip" Frederick Smith

That said when are they gonna go after oh General Sancehes

[samdogmom]

4. We are truly in "Bizzaro World" now.

What could possibly possess a human to do this to another human? This is so beyond forgiveness. There just isn't an excuse or an explanation that I could accept.

Edit for spelling.

[Barrett808]

6. Two citations that analyze this kind of behavior

Robert Jay Lifton, The Nazi Doctors
Stanley Milgram, Obedience to Authority

[Zorra]

5. The article fails to mention that dog saliva is considered impure

in Islam and that this type of torture is also a very cruel form of psychological torture to an orthodox Muslim, particularly if the victim of torture by dog bite is prevented from cleansing the wound.

Obviously, these torturers knew this fact when they used dogs to terrorize their victims.

Dogs in Islam

Traditionally, dogs have been seen as impure, and the Islamic legal tradition has developed several injunctions that warn Muslims against most contact with dogs.....
snip---
2. It is NOT haraam to touch a dog or any other animal. If the saliva of a dog touches you or any part of your clothing, then it is required of you to wash the body part touched and the item of clothing touched by the dog’s mouth or snout.

http://www.islamicconcern.com/dogs.asp

[Democracy White]

7. You're right about that Zorra

Most Muslims consider saliva from a dog to be haram, I have been a practicing Muslim for a year and a half and I remember that fatwa very well.

BTW does anyone know if the pics and videos of the tortures have finally been released to the ACLU yet?

Dee

[annabanana]

11. The day of their intended release (the 22nd)

The pentagon claimed another reason NOT to release them (and the reason itself is sealed)...

We are awaiting another Judge's judging...

[livvy]

9. Also, dog bites hurt like hell, and can have serious

consequences if not properly attended to. Puncture wounds have to be kept very clean, and the person should take antibiotics to prevent infection. They are not like other deep wounds, as it is not always best to close them with stitches, "locking" in any source of infection. They take a long time to heal, too. I've been bit by a large breed of dog, so I'm speaking from some "first arm" experience.
This whole torture issue is abhorrent to me. It just doesn't fit with what this country is supposed to be about.

[Solly Mack]

12. Link to Smith's statement regarding his actions

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4195687&mesg_id=4195687

[Disturbed]

14. Cover Up

The Military requsted that 60Min2 wait two weeks before releasing any photos of the 1st batch for two weeks. There are around 2K photos. The least disturbing were chosen for TV viewing. The public has no clue as to the extent of the brutality and the widespread use of abuse and torture that that has been applied. Many members of the Congress were shown the more brutal photos for an hour or so then the Military took them back.

Most in Govt. and Military are set against any more photos or the videos being shown.

I will not be surprised if the photos and vids were "accidently" destroyed. What could anyone do about that if that occured?

[Solly Mack]

15. I've literally begged for others to come foward

I know other people have copies.

I've also put out feelers to people I know within the military to send me anything and everything they come across related to Abu Ghraib.

More than a few got real offended that I even asked.

[Barrett808]

22. Yeah, "offended," great

Better just to stay quiet, like a a giant dysfunctional family.

[XemaSab]

13. totally appalling

not only did they let dogs bite detainees PERIOD, but it's clear in this argument that they were torturing detainees for fun.

Way to win hearts and minds there....

[Patty Diana]

18. All the therapy in the world won't help the troops the Rummy, Gonzales

and shrub ordered to do this. A good start is prosecute the people who made these rules and those who ordered them carried out. The WORLD knows it wasn't a few bad apples. They want BUSH, RUMMY, GONZALES, CHENEY, WOLFOWITZ, MYERS, SANCHEZ, etc... God these are just EVIL BASTARDS_____who must be prosecuted for disgracing America.

[PurityOfEssence]

19. I have a deep fear of dogs, stemming from childhood attacks

It is a primal fear, and it's one of the few things I shrink from facing. To use dogs aggressively against people is worse than savagery. Knowing, as we did, the trepidation the locals tended to have for dogs, this method was shockingly ugly.

Toleration of violent dogs is WRONG. Use of them as coercion agents is deeply wrong. We are worse than just ugly, we are the enforcers of privilege, and we'll stop at nothing to sustain our unfair advantage over the world.

Fuck these people, and fuck the people who use dogs for enforcement; they are assholes who will stop at nothing to subjugate fellow humans.

[uppityperson]

21. More testimony added to article about KIDS and DOGS

More testimony added from earlier article. Under 15 yrs old! This is just wrong.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N26193010.htm
Here is what I find different than other articles and outrageous:

....JUVENILES

Another witness, Spec. John Ketzer, also testified by telephone and said dogs had been used to frighten two juvenile detainees, both of them under 15 years of age.

"The smaller one (detainee) was hiding behind the larger of the two," he said, without providing specific details.

[daleo]

23. Rush will say: "It was just a game."

By "...sergeants who were competing to see who could scare more detainees, a witness testified Tuesday."

Only America haters and communists would be against competition. :sarcasm:

[Barrett808]

24. And the dog tactics came from Gitmo

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1656618