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Document a Day: "If You Think This Is Tough..."

Larry Siems,
The Torture Report
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June 11, 2010

These four pages of handwritten notes from May 28 of an unknown year confirm that Mohammed al Qahtani鈥檚 brutal interrogation in Guant谩namo 鈥 which we discussed yesterday 鈥 was no isolated incident. The notes state that Guant谩namo鈥檚 Camp X-Ray 鈥渨as used for harsh treatment,鈥 that al Qahtani 鈥渆nded up in the hospital鈥 as a result of his interrogation at Camp X-Ray, and that al Qahtani was not alone: 鈥淧risoners other than #63 [al Qahtani] went through [a] similar IP,鈥 or interrogation protocol.

After describing the use of Camp X-Ray for harsh interrogations, the notes contain this chilling and unattributed quote: 鈥渋f you think this is tough 鈥 you should see what鈥檚 happening in Afghanistan.鈥

The document also hints at one of the larger narratives underlying the military鈥檚 use of torture and abuse: the FBI vigorously objected to the military鈥檚 abusive techniques, stating that they are ineffective and 鈥済et out of control without strict guidelines.鈥 Those objections, and the decision of the FBI as a whole to prohibit its agents from participating in abusive interrogations, are documented in great detail in this May 2008 report (part , , , ) by the DOJ's Office of the Inspector General.

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To read more about and see documentary evidence of the Bush administration's torture program, go to .

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