Taguba Report
Encyclopedia
The Taguba Report is the common name of an official Army Regulation 15-6 military inquiry conducted in 2004 into the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse.
Ricardo Sanchez
, the senior officer in Iraq, appointed Major General
Antonio Taguba
to open an Army Regulation 15-6 investigation into the conduct of the 800th Military Police Brigade.
According to the report the inquiry was initiated because:
In addition he found:
Major General Taguba also determined that the testimony of several detainees was "...credible based on the clarity of their statements and
supporting evidence provided by other witnesses (ANNEX 26)". The detainees described the following acts of abuse:
The Report recommended increased training of interrogators and the dissemination of information regarding the treatment of prisoners, both actions emphasizing the Geneva Conventions
.
The Report was also tasked with addressing the problem of detainee escapes. The Report found significant inconsistencies in the handling and processing of detainees. It recommended the standardization of detainee processing routines, the updating of accounting systems, the improvement of structural features, and several other recommendations.
Initiation
Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Ricardo Sanchez
Ricardo Sanchez
Ricardo Sanchez is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General and a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for the Senate election in 2012 for the seat of retiring Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.-Early life and education:...
, the senior officer in Iraq, appointed Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Antonio Taguba
Antonio Taguba
Antonio Mario Taguba , is a retired major general in the United States Army. He was the second American citizen of Philippine birth to be promoted to general officer rank in the Army....
to open an Army Regulation 15-6 investigation into the conduct of the 800th Military Police Brigade.
According to the report the inquiry was initiated because:
- "LTG Sanchez requested an investigation of detention and internment operations by the Brigade from 1 November 2003 to present. LTG Sanchez cited recent reports of detainee abuse, escapes from confinement facilities, and accountability lapses, which indicated systemic problems within the brigade and suggested a lack of clear standards, proficiency, and leadership."
Findings
In his Findings of Fact, Major General Taguba wrote:
"That between October and December 2003, at the Abu Ghraib Confinement
Facility (BCCF), numerous incidents of sadistic, blatant, and wanton criminal abuses
were inflicted on several detainees. This systemic and illegal abuse of detainees was
intentionally perpetrated by several members of the military police guard force
(372nd Military Police Company, 320th Military Police Battalion, 800th MP
Brigade), in Tier (section) 1-A of the Abu Ghraib Prison (BCCF). The allegations of
abuse were substantiated by detailed witness statements (ANNEX 26) and the
discovery of extremely graphic photographic evidence...In addition to the aforementioned crimes, there were also abuses committed by members of the 325th MI Battalion, 205th MI Brigade, and Joint Interrogation and
Debriefing Center (JIDC). Specifically, on 24 November 2003, [name redacted] , 205th MI Brigade, sought to degrade a detainee by having him strip and returned to cell naked. (ANNEXES 26 and 53)".
In addition he found:
And that these "...findings are amply supported by written confessions provided by several of the suspects, written statements provided by detainees, and witness statements."
"...that the intentional abuse of detainees by military police personnel included the following acts:
a. (S) Punching, slapping, and kicking detainees; jumping on their naked feet;
b. (S) Videotaping and photographing naked male and female detainees;
c. (S) Forcibly arranging detainees in various sexually explicit positions for
photographing;
d. (S) Forcing detainees to remove their clothing and keeping them naked for several
days at a time;
e. (S) Forcing naked male detainees to wear women’s underwear;
f. (S) Forcing groups of male detainees to masturbate themselves while being
photographed and videotaped;
g. (S) Arranging naked male detainees in a pile and then jumping on them;
h. (S) Positioning a naked detainee on a MRE Box, with a sandbag on his head, and
attaching wires to his fingers, toes, and penis to simulate electric torture;
i. (S) Writing “I am a Rapest” (sic) on the leg of a detainee alleged to have forcibly
raped a 15-year old fellow detainee, and then photographing him naked;
j. (S) Placing a dog chain or strap around a naked detainee’s neck and having a
female Soldier pose for a picture;
k. (S) A male MP guard having sex with a female detainee;
l. (S) Using military working dogs (without muzzles) to intimidate and frighten
detainees, and in at least one case biting and severely injuring a detainee;
m. (S) Taking photographs of dead Iraqi detainees. (ANNEXES 25 and 26)"
Major General Taguba also determined that the testimony of several detainees was "...credible based on the clarity of their statements and
supporting evidence provided by other witnesses (ANNEX 26)". The detainees described the following acts of abuse:
"a. (U) Breaking chemical lights and pouring the phosphoric liquid on detainees;
b. (U) Threatening detainees with a charged 9mm pistol;
c. (U) Pouring cold water on naked detainees;
d. (U) Beating detainees with a broom handle and a chair;
e. (U) Threatening male detainees with rape;
f. (U) Allowing a military police guard to stitch the wound of a detainee who was
injured after being slammed against the wall in his cell;
g. (U) Sodomizing a detainee with a chemical light and perhaps a broom stick.
h. (U) Using military working dogs to frighten and intimidate detainees with threats
of attack, and in one instance actually biting a detainee."
The Report recommended increased training of interrogators and the dissemination of information regarding the treatment of prisoners, both actions emphasizing the Geneva Conventions
Geneva Conventions
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war...
.
The Report was also tasked with addressing the problem of detainee escapes. The Report found significant inconsistencies in the handling and processing of detainees. It recommended the standardization of detainee processing routines, the updating of accounting systems, the improvement of structural features, and several other recommendations.
See also
- Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuseAbu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuseBeginning in 2004, human rights violations in the form of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture, rape, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq came to public attention...
- Fay ReportFay ReportA report commonly known as The Fay Report was appointed to look into the scandal at Abu Ghraib.General Paul Kern was the appointing authority for the report....
- Church reportChurch ReportThe Church Report is the colloquial name for a report into allegations of the abuse of extrajudicial detainees at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, Admiral Albert T. Church III....
- Ryder Report (Detention and Corrections in Iraq)Ryder Report (Detention and Corrections in Iraq)Ryder Report refers to the official report produced by an inquiry by U.S Provost Marshal General Donald Ryder into reports of abuse by American troops in Iraq.Ryder's report was completed on November 5, 2003....