Detention for Dummies

Posted on Nov 15, 2007

guardian.co.uk

A Quran hangs in a cell. A prison manual warns guards not to disrespect the Quran by allowing it to touch the ground.

Web site Wikileaks has uncovered a 238-page manual that addresses almost every aspect of detainees’ lives at the Guantanamo detention facility. Cooperative prisoners, for example, should be allowed three showers a week instead of two, the manual says.

The document also provides talking points for guards to use with the media and reveals that the Red Cross has been allowed less access than it had thought.

---

Guardian America:

The 238 pages list the rules governing the daily life of the prisoners but also provides insights into how the US guards and interrogators view the inmates.

It details an elaborate reward system in which prisoners who show signs of cooperating or at least responding positively are rewarded with “comfort items” such as a regular bar of soap rather than a small one.

It covers how to identify potential leaders, orders latex gloves to be used when handling mail in case of hazardous chemicals, and the number of MPs to be present when prisoners take showers.

Read more

More Below the Ad

Comments

Are you a Truthdig member yet? Login now, or register with Truthdig.