Instructions to the Soldiers by William Fisher: "The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is charging that U.S. Army documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that the mistreatment of detainees in Iraq was much more widespread than the government has admitted.

The advocacy group also accused the Army of failing to comply with a court order to release the documents and of manipulating the media 'to minimize coverage and public access.'

The ACLU said the reason for the delay in delivering the more than 1,200 pages of documents was 'evident in the contents,' which include reports of brutal beatings, 'exercise until exhaustion,' and sworn statements that soldiers were told to 'beat the f**k out of' detainees. One file cites evidence that military intelligence personnel in Iraq 'tortured' detainees held in their custody.

The treatment was reportedly meant to 'soften up' detainees for interrogation. It occurred at the same time guards at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad were carrying out similar tactics."

...

"And the ACLU has disclosed a Sept. 14, 2003 memo signed by Lt. Gen. Ricardo A. Sanchez, then senior commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, authorizing 29 interrogation techniques, including 12 that 'far exceeded limits established by the Army's own Field Manual.'

The Sanchez memo allows for interrogation techniques including the use of military dogs specifically to 'exploit Arab fear of dogs,' sensory deprivation, and stress positions.

'At a minimum, the documents indicate a colossal failure of leadership,' ACLU attorney Jameel Jaffer told IPS. 'The documents provide further evidence that abuse of prisoners was pervasive in Iraq. The government's contention that abuse was aberrational is completely unhinged from reality.'"

(Via Lew Rockwell.)