“Nicolae Bălcescu” Land Forces Academy

Faculty of Military Sciences

Military Leadership Study Program

Abu Ghraib abuse (Irak)

Cadet Corporal Popa Adrian-Group 21D

 Agenda
Introduction
1. Authorization of torture
2. Prisoner abuse
3. Reactions
4. Repercussions
Conclusion
Sources
 Introduction

The human rights scandal now

known as "Abu Ghraib" began
its journey toward exposure on
Jan. 13, 2004, when Spc. Joseph
Darby handed over horrific
images of detainee abuse to the
Army's Criminal Investigation
Command (CID).
1.Authorization of torture
The torture methods sanctioned
included sleep deprivation,
hooding prisoners, playing loud
music, removing all detainees'
clothing, forcing them to stand in
so-called "stress positions", and the
use of dogs.
 2.Prisoner abuse
Death of Manadel al-Jamadi
Al-Jamadi had been a suspect in a
bomb attack that killed 12 people in
a Baghdad Red Cross facility, even
though there was no confirmation of
his involvement in these attacks

Prisoner rape
In 2004, Antonio Taguba, a major general
in the U.S. Army, wrote in the Taguba
Report that a detainee had been sodomized
with "a chemical light and perhaps a
broomstick."
 Sistematic torture
The US commander in charge of military
jails in Iraq, Major General Geoffrey Miller,
has confirmed that a battery of 50-odd
special "coercive techniques" can be used
against enemy detainees. The general, who
previously ran the prison camp at
Guantanamo Bay, said his main role was to
extract as much intelligence as possible.
 3.Reactions
“Our country had an obligation to
treat them right. We didn't do that.
That was wrong. To those Iraqis who
were mistreated by members of U.S.
armed forces, I offer my deepest
apology. It was un-American. And it
was inconsistent with the values of
our nation.”
United States Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld
 4.Repercussions

Eleven soldiers were convicted of various

charges relating to the incidents, with all of
the convictions including the charge of
dereliction of duty. Most soldiers only
received minor sentences. Three other
soldiers were either cleared of charges or
were not charged. No one was convicted
for the murders of the detainees.
 Conclusion
In conlusion, this case paves a promising path for
addressing and challenging torture of Muslim prisoners in
the war on terror. However, what we must continue to
remember is that torture has and continues to be sanctioned
by the US government.
Perhaps the most disturbing evidence of this mindset was
Donald Rumsfeld's long initial silence on the Abu Ghraib
photos. His failure to alert the President or congressional
leaders before the photos became public—and he knew
they were going to become public—leads one to conclude
that he didn't think they were a very big deal.
 Sources
1.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Ghraib_torture_and_prisoner_ab
use#Authorization_of_torture
2. https://www.salon.com/2006/03/14/introduction_2
3. https://academic.oup.com/milmed/article-
pdf/171/12/1163/21978852/milmed.171.12.1163.pdf
4. https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/usa0604/1.htm
Thank you for your
attention!