Pentagon bans torture, use of dogs on prisoners

Charges of abuse lead to directive on humane treatment of U.S. captives

Associated Press | November 9, 2005
By LOLITA C. BALDOR

WASHINGTON - Thrown on the defensive by abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, the Pentagon has issued a broad new directive mandating that detainees be treated humanely and has banned the use of dogs to intimidate or harass suspects.

The directive pulls together for the first time all of the Defense Department's existing policies and memos covering the interrogation of detainees captured in the war against terrorism. It comes as Congress is considering a ban on inhumane treatment of U.S. prisoners and Democrats have launched a long-shot effort to create a commission to investigate abuse.

While the policy maps out broad requirements for humane treatment and for reporting violations, it is just the first step in the development of a new Army manual that would detail more precisely which interrogation techniques are acceptable and which are not.

Only specific prohibition
The directive says that "acts of physical or mental torture are prohibited" and directs that any violations be reported, investigated and punished.

The only specific prohibition in the directive says that dogs used by any government agency "shall not be used as part of an interrogation approach or to harass, intimidate threaten or coerce a detainee for interrogation purposes."

Investigations into detainee abuse at the Abu Ghraib facility in Iraq found that unmuzzled dogs were used to intimidate inmates.

Policy took 11 months
The new policy, a product of about 11 months work, governs the interrogation of any detainee under Defense Department control. It leaves open the possibility that prisoners in department facilities, such as Guantanamo Bay or Abu Ghraib, could at times be considered under the control of another agency — such as the Central Intelligence Agency — and therefore would not be subject to the directive's policies.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the new directive is a recognition that interrogations play a prominent and crucial role in the war on terror.

"Intelligence is critical to this conflict, probably more so than in any other conflict this nation has been engaged in," he said. "We know that we learn from our enemies that we have captured information that thwarts attacks and saves lives."

The Pentagon also expects to release another policy soon on the broader treatment of detainees, including requirements for holding, transferring and releasing them. That would address an aspect of Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain's proposed amendment, which would ban degrading and inhuman treatment of prisoners.

Last modified November 9, 2005