Church Report on detainee interrogation
Encyclopedia
The Church report on detainee interrogation and incarceration is a report completed under the direction of Vice Admiral
Albert T. Church
, an officer in the United States Navy
. Church was then the Naval Inspector General
.
Church's mandate was to investigate the interrogation and incarceration of detainees in the United States
"war on terror
", in Afghanistan
, Iraq
and Guantanamo Bay
. The inquiry was initiated on May 25, 2004. A version of its report was finished on March 2, 2005.
An unclassified 21 page executive summary has been circulated. The full 368 page report is classified.
Church and his staff interviewed 800 individuals, Washington policy-makers, Armed Services members, and allies of the United States. Human Rights Watch
reports that the Church inquiry didn't interview any detainees.
received an unredacted copy of the report.
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
Albert T. Church
Albert T. Church
Vice Admiral Albert Thomas Church III is a retired Vice Admiral in the United States Navy. Church served as the Naval Inspector General and then Director of the Navy Staff until his retirement from active duty in 2005....
, an officer in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. Church was then the Naval Inspector General
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
.
Church's mandate was to investigate the interrogation and incarceration of detainees in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
"war on terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
", in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Guantanamo Bay
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a detainment and interrogation facility of the United States located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The facility was established in 2002 by the Bush Administration to hold detainees from the war in Afghanistan and later Iraq...
. The inquiry was initiated on May 25, 2004. A version of its report was finished on March 2, 2005.
An unclassified 21 page executive summary has been circulated. The full 368 page report is classified.
Church and his staff interviewed 800 individuals, Washington policy-makers, Armed Services members, and allies of the United States. Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
reports that the Church inquiry didn't interview any detainees.
Highlights
- The inquiry concluded that 26 deaths in custody merited homicide charges.
- Senior officers ignored warning signs, like the reports submitted to them by the Red Cross.
Unredacted version published
On February 11, 2009, the American Civil Liberties UnionAmerican Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
received an unredacted copy of the report.
External links
- Church Report Falls Short of Establishing Accountability; PHR Calls for Independent Commission to Investigate Torture by US Forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantánamo, Physicians for Human RightsPhysicians for Human RightsPhysicians for Human Rights was founded in 1986 by a small group of doctors who believed the unique scientific expertise and authority of health professionals could bring human rights violations to light and provide justice for victims...
March 14, 2005 - New Interrogation Rules Set for Detainees in Iraq, reprint from New York Times, March 10, 2005
- US Military Says 26 Inmate Deaths May Be Homicide, reprint from New York Times, March 16, 2005
- Abuse Review Exonerates Policy: Low-Level Leaders and Confusion Blamed, Washington Post March 10, 2005
- Center for Constitutional Rights Says Rumsfeld Must be Held Accountable for Inmate Homicides in Iraq And Afghanistan,