rendering
The types of punishment approved by the present US government include stripping detainees naked; the use of cameras to take pictures of naked detainees; hooding for interrogation and for long periods of time; requiring detainees to assume painful "stress" positions for long periods of time; prolonged sleep deprivation; use of dogs to intimidate prisoners during interrogation and elsewise; exposure to heat or cold or cold water; sensory assault, including exposure to loud music and bright lights; isolation longer than 30 days; and threatening prisoners with abuse.
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All told, over 43,000 Iraqis have been arrested by the US occupation army...
Many have been subjected to brutality by American troops. Many have been injured or tortured. Many were incarcerated for months without the knowledge of their families. None had legal representation. Some were killed.
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So far, 34,000 of the apprehended Iraqis have been released without charges. Most of the rest will be released in time - a process that has been accelerated since the Abu Ghraib crimes became publicly known. Only 600 have ever been charged with a crime, mostly of a civil nature.
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The Abu Ghraib episode is not a question of a few GIs "staining the honor of their country". It's a matter of the Bush administration undermining what remains of America's honor by engaging in brutal tactics against a civilian population after killing 10,000 other non-combatants in an unjust and illegal war.
Jack A Smith /Asia Times May.15.04
