LONDON,
May 14 (IslamOnline.net) - The abuse of Afghan detainees by the U.S.
forces in Afghanistan was "systematic" and not limited to a
few cases, Human Rights Watch said in a report.
"We
know now that abuse of detainees was an established part of the
interrogation process," said John Sifton, Afghanistan researcher
for HRW in the report released Thursday, May 14.
HRW
depended on testimonies taken by detainees, many of them complained of
being beaten during the initial stages of detention, and U.S.
officials.
"U.S.
officials have admitted to journalists and HRW that U.S military and
intelligence personnel in Afghanistan employ an interrogation system
that includes the use of sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation, and
forcing detainees to sit or stand in painful positions for extended
periods of time," read the report.
"Afghans
have been telling us for well over a year about mistreatment in U.S.
custody," said Sifton, adding that requests by the group to have
access to prisons were denied by the American troops.
Detainees
also complained about being stripped of their clothing and
photographed while naked.
"They
who were held in Kandahar airport in early 2002 reported being
stripped naked, kicked and punched, and forced to endure freezing
temperatures."
‘Mercilessly’
Beaten
The
group said some of these abusive practices during interrogation were
similar to those recently reported in Iraq.
The
group carried a testimony of an Afghan detainee abused by the U.S.
forces, now in Afghanistan for more than three years allegedly as part
of the "war on terrorism".
"The
Americans blindfolded us and, worst of all, they made us completely
naked and made us to sit in a cold room and we were shivering and
trembling because of the cold air," he said.
"All
the handcuffed prisoners were forced to sit with their legs stretched
and hands behind them and the whole body bent onto the legs all the
way," he said.
The
detainee demonstrated by kneeling and sitting on top of his calves and
feet, with torso bent down over the knees.
"The
armed men standing over our heads would beat us mercilessly with their
army boots, kicking us in our back and kidneys. We were all beaten,
without exception. It was very difficult to remain in that position
and if we fell to the side or moved," he added.
Requests
‘Ignored’
HRW
said that the United States has still not provided any adequate
explanation for the three detainee deaths that took place in
Afghanistan in 2002 and 2003.
The
first two deaths, which took place in December 2002, were specifically
ruled homicides by U.S. military pathologists.
Military
officials in the Army Criminal Investigative Division told the group
in late 2003 and early 2004 that investigations into the two homicides
were "ongoing".
But
in April, the rights group received credible information that
preliminary results of a military investigation into the two deaths
were in fact completed in early 2003.
The
group said some disciplinary actions were taken against U.S.
personnel, although no prosecutions were initiated.
U.S.
military officials have repeatedly refused to explain to HRW the
circumstances of the third detainee death, which took place in
Asadabad, in eastern Afghanistan, in June 2003.
"We've
basically been stonewalled," said Sifton.
"It's
been well over a year since the two detainees were killed in
Afghanistan, and U.S. officials are still supposedly investigating.
It's time for them to tell the public what happened".
‘Presumed
Guilt’
