Friday October 6, 2006 5:46 PM
Sworn statement says Guards at Gitmo bragged about beating detainees and described it as common practiceBy THOMAS WATKINS
Associated Press Writer
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) -
The two-page statement was sent Wednesday to the Inspector General at the Department of Defense by a high-ranking Marine Corps defense lawyer.
The lawyer sent the statement on behalf of a paralegal who said men she met on Sept. 23 at a bar on the base identified themselves to her as guards. The woman, whose name was blacked out, said she spent about an hour talking with them. No one was in uniform, she said.
The statement was provided to the AP on Thursday night by Lt. Col. Colby Vokey. He is the Marine Corps' defense coordinator for the western United States and based at Camp Pendleton.
Other guards ``also told their own stories of abuse towards the detainees'' that included hitting them, denying them water and ``removing privileges for no reason.''
``About 5 others in the group admitted hitting detainees'' and that included ``punching in the face,'' the affidavit said.
``From the whole conversation, I understood that striking detainees was a common practice,'' the sergeant wrote. ``Everyone in the group laughed at the others stories of beating detainees.''
report:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6130442,00.htmlhttp://journals.democraticunderground.com/bigtree