Point by Point Guide

To The Breaking of the Geneva Convention Treaty

There has been much talk about the horrific treatment of the Iraqi Prisoners-of- War, in the past months when the few images were released. Most Americans and the people of the world are outraged by the reports of these abuses. But we are told that it is nothing more than what typically goes on during hazings. Now, we have a more complete understanding of what happened. The newest pictures which were just released February 15, 2006 by Australia’s Special Broadcasting Service TV, makes it harder to believe that lie. (Wonder why our PBS didn’t do this). Pictures help us to put ourselves in their place. This is not the way that human beings should treat other human beings. It is also against the treaties we have signed. View pictures here

Hazing? There are several problems with this description. Hazing is something which you voluntarily agree to go through, and you have the option to withdraw. Prisoners-of-War do not have that option. And these abuses are not in any way close to the worst hazing which has been reported happening in America.

“What has been charged so far is abuse, which I believe technically is different from torture,” said Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. “I’m not going to address the `torture’ word.” And nobody else seems to want to address it either. Military police officers at Abu Ghraib were encouraged to treat the prisoners so as to create “favorable conditions” for interrogations.

A description of just three of these practices which are talked about by Rumsfeld and others as mere hazings:

Sleep management: This apparently benign term disguises a form of torture that has long been popular because it requires no special equipment and leaves no marks on the body. Widely used in the Middle Ages on suspected witches by inquisitors, it was called the tormentum insomniae. Hundreds of years later, in the interrogation rooms of Stalin’s secret police, it was known as the “conveyor belt,” because relays of interrogators would question a prisoner, day and night, until he or she signed the desired statement and named enough co-conspirators.
After being kept awake for a hundred hours or so, almost anybody will confess to almost anything, from flying through the night sky on a broomstick to being a capitalist spy. Soviet prisoners of the 1930’s had to sign each page of their interrogation record. In the files that have been released from archives in recent years, you can sometimes see how a prisoner’s signature, clear and firm on the first day, gradually turns into an indecipherable scrawl as the sleepless nights roll by.
Water-boarding: This is holding prisoners under water for long enough that they think they are drowning. Again, interrogators favor it because after the prisoner has coughed the water out of his lungs, it leaves no identifiable marks. Reports by human rights groups on countries including Brazil, Ethiopia and El Salvador have noted the prevalence of “simulated drowning” or “near drowning.”
Stress positions: What is a stress position? Mike Xego, a former political prisoner in South Africa, demonstrated. He bent down and clasped his hands in front of him as if they were handcuffed, and then, using a rolled-up newspaper, showed me how apartheid-era police officers would pin his elbows behind his knees with a stick, forcing him into a permanent crouch. “You’d be passed from one hand to another. Kicked. Tipped over,” he explained. “The blood stops moving. You scream and scream and scream until there is no voice.”

As Orwell pointed out most effectively, governments control language as well as people. Since the Abu Ghraib prison scandal broke, our government, from the highest officials in Washington to Army prison guards in Baghdad, have used every euphemism they can think of to avoid the word that clearly characterizes what some of our soldiers and civilian contractors have been doing: torture.

Many of us have an idea that it is against the Geneva Convention, but do we actually know what that Treaty says? And what Articles of that Treaty our military is guilty of breaking?

These are a few of the Articles of the Geneva Convention which our military and this Administration have violated, in our name.

Article 1
The High Contracting Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances.

Article 17
Every prisoner of war, when questioned on the subject, is bound to give only his surname, first names and rank, date of birth, and army, regimental, personal or serial number, or failing this, equivalent information.

No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever. Prisoners of war who refuse to answer may not be threatened, insulted, or exposed to any unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any kind.

This rule is not ambivalent. Only an idiot can not understand that law! The people in control of any prisoners-of-war could not do more than ask a question. It does not matter if that person has information which we need to know. The agreement we signed forbids us from doing more than asking. The prisoner may decide to answer or not. We must accept their right to remain silent. Just because someone is captured, does not mean that they do not have an interest in their country prevailing, in the safety of their fellow comrades-in-arms or their countrymen. We hold our military to a standard of silence when interrogated by the enemy. They may only break that rule, if they can not withstand the pain of the torture they are experiencing. And then, they are to give information which will not hurt our side. Do we not hold the same regard for other people?

In the past, our police have used many cruel means to obtain confessions from suspects, but the Supreme Court has ruled this is illegal. They may not beat, torture, use bright lights, deprive us of sleep, deny our use of the toilet, good food and plenty of clean water or keep us for days and nights answering questions. They may not keep us from seeing a lawyer or informing our family of our detention. The Geneva Convention ruled these procedures, even in times of war as criminal, under any circumstance.

Turning over important prisoners-of-war to a foreign country, where torture is the norm, is not allowed. Under the Geneva Convention we are responsible for the safety of all prisoners-of-war, even if they are turned over to another country for confinement. And we are still obligated to following the rule of law and the Geneva Convention.

Article 39
Every prisoner of war camp shall be put under the immediate authority of a responsible commissioned officer belonging to the regular armed forces of the Detaining Power. Such officer shall have in his possession a copy of the present Convention; he shall ensure that its provisions are known to the camp staff and the guard and shall be responsible, under the direction of his government, for its application.

Article 41
In every camp the text of the present Convention and its Annexes and the contents of any special agreement provided for in Article 6, shall be posted, in the prisoners’ own language, at places where all may read them. Copies shall be supplied, on request, to the prisoners who cannot have access to the copy which has been posted.

Regulations, orders, notices and publications of every kind relating to the conduct of prisoners of war shall be issued to them in a language which they understand. Such regulations, orders and publications shall be posted in the manner described above and copies shall be handed to the prisoners’ representative. Every order and command addressed to prisoners of war individually must likewise be given in a language which they understand.

Article 127
The High Contracting Parties undertake, in time of peace as in time of war, to disseminate the text of the present Convention as widely as possible in their respective countries, and, in particular, to include the study thereof in their programmes of military and, if possible, civil instruction, so that the principles thereof may become known to all their armed forces and to the entire population.

Any military or other authorities, who in time of war assume responsibilities in respect of prisoners of war, must possess the text of the Convention and be specially instructed as to its provisions.

This Administration, the top brass of the military and the Commanders in charge of these Prisoners-of-War facilities have failed to perform their duty. Where in our daily lives are the text of the present Convention posted? Are we taught this in our schools?

“Every prisoner of war camp shall be put under the immediate authority of a responsible commissioned officer belonging to the regular armed forces of the Detaining Power”.

The soldiers have claimed that they did not know that what they were doing was illegal. If Article 41 and Article 127 had been followed, they would have known. Forget that every American should know that this kind of action is wrong, for our Armed Forces to be deployed without the training in acceptable behavior during war, particularly as regards the Geneva Convention, is another failure on the leadership of our military leaders.

Seems to be little difference between our Intelligence Agencies and our POW’s in World War II being turned over to the Gestapo for questioning. We are justifiably angered when our soldiers and civilians are treated to this type of abuse by other countries. How can we with any moral authority demand that others follow the rules, when we don’t? We must treat others as we wish to be treated.

We have tests on the driving laws in each state, which any sixteen year old must be able to pass to receive a drivers license. Would it be too much to have those who have the power of life and death over others, to pass a test in their knowledge of the rules of combat and the care of prisoners?

Ignorance of the law, is no excuse! Common decency and humanity tells most of us that this is wrong.

Article 2
…….the present Convention shall apply to all cases of declared war or of any other armed conflict which may arise between two or more of the High Contracting Parties, even if the state of war is not recognized by one of them. The Convention shall also apply to all cases of partial or total occupation of the territory……. even if the said occupation meets with no armed resistance. Although one of the Powers in conflict may not be a party to the present Convention, the Powers who are parties thereto shall remain bound by it in their mutual relations…….

The Bush Administration claims the Geneva Conventions does not apply to it’s war on terror. They have called them “Enemy Combatants” or “Security Detainees”, as if changing the name changes the law. This Administration has approved a major breach of the Geneva Convention.

Article 3
……….each party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions:

1. Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.

To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:

(a) Violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture; …………

(c) Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment;

Article 13
Prisoners of war must at all times be humanely treated. Any unlawful act or omission by the Detaining Power causing death or seriously endangering the health of a prisoner of war in its custody is prohibited, and will be regarded as a serious breach of the present Convention……….

Likewise, prisoners of war must at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity.

Article 14
Prisoners of war are entitled in all circumstances to respect for their persons and their honour. Women shall be treated with all the regard due to their sex and shall in all cases benefit by treatment as favourable as that granted to men. Prisoners of war shall retain the full civil capacity which they enjoyed at the time of their capture. The Detaining Power may not restrict the exercise, either within or without its own territory, of the rights such capacity confers except in so far as the captivity requires.

Can anyone view these few pictures, (imagine what they are holding back from us) and not know that Article 3 has been violated. We don’t know all the types of tortures that have been committed, but we have seen what cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity, humiliating and degrading treatment have been the norm for over a year, with glee and a total disregard for the human beings they are abusing. G. W. Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld and General Meyers and most of the top brass have known this was happening and they did nothing to stop it. Therefore, they are responsible for the continuing abuse! {In Depth}

The minute that the reports of this abuse came to the attention of the leaders, all those guards should have been transferred and an investigation should have been done. The new soldiers who were put into guard these prisoners, should have had training in this field.

Article 4
A. Prisoners of war, in the sense of the present Convention, are persons belonging to one of the following categories, who have fallen into the power of the enemy:

1. Members of the armed forces of a Party to the conflict as well as members of militias or volunteer corps forming part of such armed forces.

2. Members of other militias and members of other volunteer corps, including those of organized resistance movements, belonging to a Party to the conflict and operating in or outside their own territory, even if this territory is occupied, provided that such militias or volunteer corps, including such organized resistance movements, fulfill the following conditions:

(a) That of being commanded by a person responsible for his subordinates;……….

(c) That of carrying arms openly;

3. Members of regular armed forces who profess allegiance to a government or an authority not recognized by the Detaining Power……..

6. Inhabitants of a non-occupied territory, who on the approach of the enemy spontaneously take up arms to resist the invading forces, without having had time to form themselves into regular armed units, provided they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war.

If America was being invaded, how many Americans would take up arms and resist? Most people would defend their countries. The Geneva Convention protects even those who are not in the military, in uniform.

Article 5
The present Convention shall apply to the persons referred to in Article 4 from the time they fall into the power of the enemy and until their final release and repatriation.

Should any doubt arise as to whether persons, having committed a belligerent act and having fallen into the hands of the enemy, belong to any of the categories enumerated in Article 4, such persons shall enjoy the protection of the present Convention until such time as their status has been determined by a competent tribunal.

The soldiers or an Administration do not get to decide who has the protection of the Geneva Convention and neither does the leadership of the countries at war. We all have that protection, until a competent tribunal can determine on an individual case.

Article 20
The evacuation of prisoners of war shall always be effected humanely and in conditions similar to those for the forces of the Detaining Power in their changes of station.

The Detaining Power shall supply prisoners of war who are being evacuated with sufficient food and potable water, and with the necessary clothing and medical attention. The Detaining Power shall take all suitable precautions to ensure their safety during evacuation, and shall establish as soon as possible a list of the prisoners of war who are evacuated.

The pictures of the prisoners-of-war, (enemy combatants as this Administration likes to call them), in the military planes being flown to Cuba, with hoods on and tied to the walls at an angle which looks like they can not sit up straight or lie down, does not seem humane and certainly is not similar conditions to how our forces move when changing their stations.

Article 21
The Detaining Power may subject prisoners of war to internment. It may impose on them the obligation of not leaving, beyond certain limits, the camp where they are interned, or if the said camp is fenced in, of not going outside its perimeter. Subject to the provisions of the present Convention relative to penal and disciplinary sanctions, prisoners of war may not be held in close confinement except where necessary to safeguard their health and then only during the continuation of the circumstances which make such confinement necessary.

Article 22
Prisoners of war may be interned only in premises located on land and affording every guarantee of hygiene and healthfulness. Except in particular cases which are justified by the interest of the prisoners themselves, they shall not be interned in penitentiaries.

Article 25
Prisoners of war shall be quartered under conditions as favourable as those for the forces of the Detaining Power who are billeted in the same area. The said conditions shall make allowance for the habits and customs of the prisoners and shall in no case be prejudicial to their health.

The foregoing provisions shall apply in particular to the dormitories of prisoners of war as regards both total surface and minimum cubic space, and the general installations, bedding and blankets.

The premises provided for the use of prisoners of war individually or collectively, shall be entirely protected from dampness and adequately heated and lighted, in particular between dusk and lights out. All precautions must be taken against the danger of fire.

In any camps in which women prisoners of war, as well as men, are accommodated, separate dormitories shall be provided for them.

What are we doing putting Iraqi prisoners-of-war in a penitentiary? And one which has such a terrible reputation from the evil dictator’s reign.

Article 26
The basic daily food rations shall be sufficient in quantity, quality and variety to keep prisoners of war in good health and to prevent loss of weight or the development of nutritional deficiencies. Account shall also be taken of the habitual diet of the prisoners.

Sufficient drinking water shall be supplied to prisoners of war. The use of tobacco shall be permitted.

Prisoners of war shall, as far as possible, be associated with the preparation of their meals; they may be employed for that purpose in the kitchens. Furthermore, they shall be given the means of preparing, themselves, the additional food in their possession.

Adequate premises shall be provided for messing.

The forced eating of Pork and the forcing of Alcohol on these prisoners-of-war, both of which are sins to Muslims are well documented abuses. Our military is using every humiliation possible to cause great distress to these people. Imagine the outrage American’s would howl, if our soldiers were forced to do things which were a sin to their religions.

Article 35
Chaplains who fall into the hands of the enemy Power and who remain or are retained with a view to assisting prisoners of war, shall be allowed to minister to them and to exercise freely their ministry amongst prisoners of war of the same religion, in accordance with their religious conscience. They shall be allocated among the various camps and labour detachments containing prisoners of war belonging to the same forces, speaking the same language or practicing the same religion. They shall enjoy the necessary facilities, including the means of transport provided for in Article 33, for visiting the prisoners of war outside their camp. They shall be free to correspond, subject to censorship, on matters concerning their religious duties with the ecclesiastical authorities in the country of detention and with international religious organizations. Letters and cards which they may send for this purpose shall be in addition to the quota provided for in Article 71.

Article 38
While respecting the individual preferences of every prisoner, the Detaining Power shall encourage the practice of intellectual, educational, and recreational pursuits, sports and games amongst prisoners, and shall take the measures necessary to ensure the exercise thereof by providing them with adequate premises and necessary equipment.

Prisoners shall have opportunities for taking physical exercise, including sports and games, and for being out of doors. Sufficient open spaces shall be provided for this purpose in all camps.

Have you seen any of these at any of the POW camps?

Article 46
The Detaining Power, when deciding upon the transfer of prisoners of war, shall take into account the interests of the prisoners themselves, more especially so as not to increase the difficulty of their repatriation.

The transfer of prisoners of war shall always be effected humanely and in conditions not less favourable than those under which the forces of the Detaining Power are transferred. Account shall always be taken of the climatic conditions to which the prisoners of war are accustomed and the conditions of transfer shall in no case be prejudicial to their health.

The Detaining Power shall supply prisoners of war during transfer with sufficient food and drinking water to keep them in good health, likewise with the necessary clothing, shelter and medical attention. The Detaining Power shall take adequate precautions especially in case of transport by sea or by air, to ensure their safety during transfer, and shall draw up a complete list of all transferred prisoners before their departure.

Article 70
Immediately upon capture, or not more than one week after arrival at a camp, even if it is a transit camp, likewise in case of sickness or transfer to hospital or another camp, every prisoner of war shall be enabled to write direct to his family, on the one hand, and to the Central Prisoners of War Agency provided for in Article 123, on the other hand, a card similar, if possible, to the model annexed to the present Convention, informing his relatives of his capture, address and state of health. The said cards shall be forwarded as rapidly as possible and may not be delayed in any manner.

Article 71
Prisoners of war shall be allowed to send and receive letters and cards……..Such letters and cards must be conveyed by the most rapid method at the disposal of the Detaining Power; they may not be delayed or retained for disciplinary reasons.

Prisoners of war who have been without news for a long period, or who are unable to receive news from their next of kin or to give them news by the ordinary postal route, as well as those who are at a great distance from their homes, shall be permitted to send telegrams………They shall likewise benefit by this measure in cases of urgency.

As a general rule, the correspondence of prisoners of war shall be written in their native language. The Parties to the conflict may allow correspondence in other languages.

Article 72
Prisoners of war shall be allowed to receive by post or by any other means individual parcels or collective shipments containing, in particular, foodstuffs, clothing, medical supplies and articles of a religious, educational or recreational character which may meet their needs, including books, devotional articles, scientific equipment, examination papers, musical instruments, sports outfits and materials allowing prisoners of war to pursue their studies or their cultural activities.

Article 78
Prisoners of war shall have the right to make known to the military authorities in whose power they are, their requests regarding the conditions of captivity to which they are subjected.

They shall also have the unrestricted right to apply to the representatives of the Protecting Powers either through their prisoners’ representative or, if they consider it necessary, direct, in order to draw their attention to any points on which they may have complaints to make regarding their conditions of captivity.

Prisoners’ representatives may send periodic reports on the situation in the camps and the needs of the prisoners of war to the representatives of the Protecting Powers.

Article 123
A Central Prisoners of War Information Agency shall be created in a neutral country. The International Committee of the Red Cross shall, if it deems necessary, propose to the Powers concerned the organization of such an Agency.

The function of the Agency shall be to collect all the information it may obtain through official or private channels respecting prisoners of war, and to transmit it as rapidly as possible to the country of origin of the prisoners of war or to the Power on which they depend. It shall receive from the Parties to the conflict all facilities for effecting such transmissions.

The High Contracting Parties, and in particular those whose nationals benefit by the services of the Central Agency, are requested to give the said Agency the financial aid it may require.

The foregoing provisions shall in no way be interpreted as restricting the humanitarian activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross, or of the relief Societies provided for in Article 125.

Many people are still trying to find their families in our POW “camps”. Many have been looking for up to a year. Some of those who go to these prisons have been taken into custody. Where were the letters to these prisoners families? Where were the lists with the Red Cross or Red Crescent?

Where were the representatives of the prisoners? Were there any complaints filed?

Article 84
A prisoner of war shall be tried only by a military court, unless the existing laws of the Detaining Power expressly permit the civil courts to try a member of the armed forces of the Detaining Power in respect of the particular offense alleged to have been committed by the prisoner of war.

In no circumstances whatever shall a prisoner of war be tried by a court of any kind which does not offer the essential guarantees of independence and impartiality as generally recognized, and, in particular, the procedure of which does not afford the accused the rights and means of defense provided for in Article 105…….In no case shall disciplinary punishments be inhuman, brutal or dangerous to the health of prisoners of war.

Our military can not mete out punishment. That is not their duty.

Article 97
Prisoners of war shall not in any case be transferred to penitentiary establishments (prisons, penitentiaries, convict prisons, etc.) to undergo disciplinary punishment therein.

All premises in which disciplinary punishments are undergone shall conform to the sanitary requirements set forth in Article 25. A prisoner of war undergoing punishment shall be enabled to keep himself in a state of cleanliness, in conformity with Article 29.

Women prisoners of war undergoing disciplinary punishment shall be confined in separate quarters from male prisoners of war and shall be under the immediate supervision of women.

No solitary confinement. No confinement without sanitation facilities, food and water. No hot boxes.

Article 120
……The burial or cremation of a prisoner of war shall be preceded by a medical examination of the body with a view to confirming death and enabling a report to be made and, where necessary, establishing identity.

The detaining authorities shall ensure that prisoners of war who have died in captivity are honourably buried, if possible according to the rites of the religion to which they belonged, and that their graves are respected, suitably maintained and marked so as to be found at any time. Wherever possible, deceased prisoners of war who depended on the same Power shall be interred in the same place.

Deceased prisoners of war shall be buried in individual graves unless unavoidable circumstances require the use of collective graves. Bodies may be cremated only for imperative reasons of hygiene, on account of the religion of the deceased or in accordance with his express wish to this effect. In case of cremation, the fact shall be stated and the reasons given in the death certificate of the deceased.

In order that graves may always be found, all particulars of burials and graves shall be recorded with a Graves Registration Service established by the Detaining Power. Lists of graves and particulars of the prisoners of war interred in cemeteries and elsewhere shall be transmitted to the Power on which such prisoners of war depended. Responsibility for the care of these graves and for records of any subsequent moves of the bodies shall rest on the Power controlling the territory, if a Party to the present Convention. These provisions shall also apply to the ashes, which shall be kept by the Graves Registration Service until proper disposal thereof in accordance with the wishes of the home country.

There are rumors of mass graves around the POW “camps”, from our murder of prisoners. We won’t know until after the international community can come in and investigate, if this is true. But we do know that prisoners have been murdered. Where are their bodies and were the rules under this Article followed? {In Depth}

Article 121
Every death or serious injury of a prisoner of war caused or suspected to have been caused by a sentry, another prisoner of war, or any other person, as well as any death the cause of which is unknown, shall be immediately followed by an official enquiry by the Detaining Power.

A communication on this subject shall be sent immediately to the Protecting Power. Statements shall be taken from witnesses, especially from those who are prisoners of war, and a report including such statements shall be forwarded to the Protecting Power.

If the enquiry indicates the guilt of one or more persons, the Detaining Power shall take all measures for the prosecution of the person or persons responsible.

Article 126
Representatives or delegates of the Protecting Powers shall have permission to go to all places where prisoners of war may be, particularly to places of internment, imprisonment and labour, and shall have access to all premises occupied by prisoners of war; they shall also be allowed to go to the places of departure, passage and arrival of prisoners who are being transferred. They shall be able to interview the prisoners, and in particular the prisoners’ representatives, without witnesses, either personally or through an interpreter.

Representatives and delegates of the Protecting Powers shall have full liberty to select the places they wish to visit. The duration and frequency of these visits shall not be restricted. Visits may not be prohibited except for reasons of imperative military necessity, and then only as an exceptional and temporary measure.

The following shall be eligible for accommodation in a neutral country:…..

All women prisoners of war who are pregnant or mothers with infants and small children.

Since these representative agencies seem to have an agreement not to allow the findings to be made public, Article 126 does not seem to help with stopping abuses now. They seem to just document situation. What good is that?

Article 130
Grave breaches to which the preceding Article relates shall be those involving any of the following acts, if committed against persons or property protected by the Convention: willful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments, willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, compelling a prisoner of war to serve in the forces of the hostile Power, or willfully depriving a prisoner of war of the rights of fair and regular trial prescribed in this Convention.

Article 131
No High Contracting Party shall be allowed to absolve itself or any other High Contracting Party of any liability incurred by itself or by another High Contracting Party in respect of breaches referred to in the preceding Article.

Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War
Adopted on 12 August 1949 by the Diplomatic Conference for the Establishment of International Conventions for the Protection of Victims of War, held in Geneva from 21 April to 12 August, 1949 entry into force 21 October 1950 {In Depth}

A Partial List of Abuses

“Women are often detained because their husbands are wanted. There have been many reports of them being kept naked. There have also been a lot of women detained because they were prostitutes used by high-ranking officials of the old leadership. A woman human-rights worker from one of the major organizations working on detainee issues disappeared into a US prison for two months.

There are reports in the cases known to me, to CPT and to the local human rights organizations of the following:

1. Extra judicial executions during a raid, which turned out to be on the wrong house.

2 . Violent arrests of children from their school.

3 . A prisoner having his toenails pried off by guards.

4 . Prisoners being forced to swallow liquid.

5 . Psychological torture: being left blindfolded in an open-air passage with a tank driving towards them, so they thought they would be run over and killed.

6 . A minor reported having his buttocks held apart by soldiers who were kicking his anus.

The following appear routinely throughout the statements of detainees and their families:

* Beating and kicking of prisoners and of residents during house raids; soldiers and

* Guards treading on backs and heads

* Guns being pointed at children or held to their heads during raids.

* Denial of water.

* Denial of food, or very low quantities and poor quality of food, sometimes including pork, which is forbidden for Muslims.

* Denial of blankets, shade or air conditioning.

* Excessive chemicals being added to water so it is dangerous to drink.

* Denial of washing and toilet facilities, both within the prison camps and during long road transfers.

* Hands being tied behind the back for prolonged periods, including when this prevents the prisoners from drinking water.

* Hands being tied so tightly that the arms swell.

* Denial of medical attention or being taken to a military “doctor” who kicks and otherwise abuses, or else ignores and refuses to examine the prisoner.

* Overcrowding of tents so that there is not enough room to lie down to sleep.

* Prisoners being forced to kneel or squat all day and to remain in the sun all day in temperatures of up to 120 degrees F.

* Detention of minors.

* Individuals being kept for their entire detention in only underwear or nightwear,sometimes suffering severe sunburn as a result, having been refused the chance to get dressed when arrested at night. {In Depth}