Testimony of a Female Sergeant
This is an excerpt from a summary of an interview that took place at a conference room on 8 February 2005 at the 250th MI [= Military Intelligence] Battalion Headquarters, Long Beach, California. On 29 March 2005, at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, an investigating officer (whose name was redacted) declared under penalty that said summary was true and correct. The summary was released by the US Government on 15 June 2006 under a FOIA request by the ACLU, who made it public on June 19, 2006.
I was stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (GTMO) from 07 August 2002 to 15 February 2003. At the time I was stationed at GTMO I was assigned as an interrogator on the Saudi Arabian Team and Special Projects Team.
During the course of the interview I was asked about what I knew about detainee abuse at Guantanamo. I was specifically asked about the following acts: Inappropriate use of military working dogs, inappropriate use of duct tape, impersonation of or interference with FBI agents, inappropriate use of loud music and/or yelling, sleep deprivation, short-shackling, inappropriate use of extreme temperatures during interrogation, and inappropriate use of sexual tension as an interrogation technique, to include lap dances and simulated menstrual fluids.
I have personal knowledge of the following:
I graduated from Fort Huachuca Interrogator Course, 97E, seven months prior to my deployment.
I was aware of the use of loud music and yelling in interrogations. The only music I heard in the booth was classical music, and the volume wasn't too loud. I know yelling occurred during interrogations. I even yelled during interrogations. [REDACTED]
It was my understanding that detainee's [sic] were to be allowed four hours of uninterrupted sleep and that Mr. [REDACTED] had to approve the use of the extended interrogations. Based on that criteria, I never witnessed sleep deprivation being used in interrogations.
I heard that the manipulation of the air conditioners to make the detainees uncomfortable was a permissible technique during the October/November 2002 timeframe [sic], but I never saw it used.
I never performed a "lap dance" on a detainee. [REDACTED] Both times the technique was authorized and/or suggested by [REDACTED] the Interrogation Control (ICE) Chief. The first incident occurred when my partner and I were interrogating a detainee who refused to stop praying. The translator mentioned that he couldn't pray if he were "unclean." Mr. [REDACTED] instructed me to purchase some perfumed lotion and rub it on the detainee. I only rubbed the detainee's arms. Mr. [REDACTED] verbally approved the technique. [REDACTED] (Enclosures to the Schmidt-Furlow Report (Part 1), p. 842).
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