Rumsfeld linked to abuse

Washington, DC, Apr. 15" Donald Rumsfeld was directly linked to prisoner abuse for the first time on Apr. 14, when it emerged that he had been "personally involved" in a Guantánamo Bay interrogation found by military investigators to have been "degrading and abusive." Human Rights Watch has called for a special prosecutor to be appointed to investigate whether the Defense Secretary could be criminally liable for the treatment of Mohamed al-Qahtani, a Saudi al-Qaida suspect forced to wear women's underwear, stand naked in front of a woman interrogator, and to perform "dog tricks" on a leash, in late 2002 and early 2003. The US rights group said it had obtained a copy of the interrogation log, which showed he was also subjected to sleep deprivation and forced to maintain "stress" positions; it concluded that the treatment "amounted to torture." However, military investigators decided the interrogation did not amount to torture but was "abusive and degrading." Those conclusions were made public last year but this is the first time Rumsfeld's own involvement has emerged. According to a December report by the Army Inspector General, obtained by Salon.com online magazine, the investigators did not accuse the Defense Secretary of specifically prescribing "creative" techniques, but they said he regularly monitored the progress of the al-Kahtani interrogation by telephone, and they argued that he had helped create the conditions that allowed abuse to take place. "Where is the throttle on this stuff?" asked Lt. Gen. Schmidt, an air force officer who said in sworn testimony to the Inspector General that he had concerns about the duration and repetition of harsh interrogation techniques. He said that in his view: "There were no limits." The revelation comes at a critical time for Rumsfeld. He is under unprecedented scrutiny for his management of the Iraq War, after six former generals in quick succession called for his resignation. The questions reached such a pitch by the end of the week that George Bush took the unusual step of issuing a personal note from Camp David in Rumsfeld's defense. "I have seen first-hand how Don relies upon our military commanders in the field and at the Pentagon to make decisions about how best to complete these missions," the president wrote. "Secretary Rumsfeld's energetic and steady leadership is exactly what is needed at this critical period. He has my full support and deepest appreciation." And, responding to the generals, Rumsfeld said in an al-Arabiya TV interview on Apr. 14: "If every time two or three people disagreed we changed the Secretary of Defense, it would be like a merry-go-round." However, in the wake of the Inspector General's report, Human Rights Watch said: "The question at this point is not whether Secretary Rumsfeld should resign, it's whether he should be indicted. General Schmidt's sworn statement suggests Rumsfeld may have been perfectly aware of the abuses inflicted on al-Qahtani." The Pentagon also issued a statement in response to publication of the report. A spokesperson said: "We've gone over this countless times, and yet some still choose to print fiction versus fact. Twelve reviews, to include one done by an independent panel, all confirm the Department of Defense did not have a policy that encouraged or condoned abuse. To suggest otherwise is simply false." So far, only junior US officers have been charged and convicted for a string of prisoner abuse scandals since the Bush administration launched its "global war on terror," but rights activists have accused the administration of opening the way for the use of torture in 2002 by relaxing the constraints of the Geneva conventions. Gen. Bantz Craddock, head of Southern Command, overruled the investigators' recommendation that Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, who ran the Guantánamo camp in 2002, be admonished for the techniques employed. Miller was transferred to Abu Ghraib prison, and took with him his aggressive approach to interrogations. The investigators found that Rumsfeld was "talking weekly" with Miller about the al-Qahtani interrogation. In December 2002, the Defense Secretary approved 16 harsh interrogation techniques for use on al-Qahtani, including forced nudity, and "stress positions." However approval was revoked in 2003. Miller insisted he was unaware of details of the interrogation, but Schmidt said he found that "hard to believe" in view of Rumsfeld's evident interest in its progress. Gen James Hill, former head of Southern Command, recalled Miller recommending continuation of the interrogation, saying "We think we're right on the verge of making a breakthrough." Hill then passed on the request to Rumsfeld. "The Secretary said, 'Fine,'" Hill remembered.