Were Gitmo ‘Interrogators’ Told To Trash Notes?

Did a Gitmo manual suggest ‘interrogators’ destroy handwritten memos which may suggest acts of torture at the facility? Were Gitmo ‘Interrogators’ Told To Trash Notes?By Cliff Montgomery – June 9th, 2008The U.S. Defense Department (DoD) pressed Guantanamo Bay (“Gitmo”) interrogators to prepare for possible testimony by destroying handwritten memos which may suggest acts of torture at the facility, said a military defense lawyer on Sunday.Lt. Cmdr. William Kuebler, the attorney for Omar Khadr of Toronto, said an operations manual shown him by prosecutors included instructions which encouraged interrogators to eliminate evidence that may help suspects of terrorism defend themselves during a trial.Kuebler added that the apparent evidence destruction keeps him from arguing against any supposed ‘confessions’ which prosecutors may produce at trial. But he also declared he will use the manual to press for a dismissal of the allegations the Bush Administration has leveled against Khadr.The “standard operating procedures” document which contained the supposed instructions was first seen by Kuebler last week during a standard pre-trial examination of possible evidence, a Navy lawyer told The Associated Press yesterday.”[Because] the mission has legal and political issues that may lead to interrogators being called to testify, keeping the number of documents with interrogation information to a minimum can minimize certain legal issues,” states an apparent quote from the manual as printed in a signed affidavit from Kuebler.The manual also may aid the battles of other Gitmo detainees in getting their “confessions” tossed out of court. The Pentagon says it hopes to prosecute up to 80 of the roughly 270 suspects it currently is holding in the prison.Omar Khadr may well become one of the first detainees to stand trial at the facility; he was 15 years old at the time of his arrest in Afghanistan.American Spark readers will remember our March 14th article on this case. If so, you also will recall that much of the DoD evidence against Khadr appears shaky to say the least.The American military currently charges Khadr with the murder of Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer during a July 27th, 2002, U.S. raid on an al-Qaeda hideout in eastern Afghanistan. Khadr now is accused with throwing the grenade which killed Sgt. Speer.But there is a question about that accusation. The official report on the raid, filed the day after this tragic occurrence, first declared that the assailant who tossed the grenade was himself killed during the battle.If true, it must mean that Khadr cannot not be the killer.But the official report was altered months later–though it retained the same date–to claim that an American fighter merely had “engaged” Speer’s killer, said Kuebler in March. The attorney added that this modified document was given to him by Bush Administration prosecutors as an “updated” record of the battle.Kuebler now adds that the apparent destruction of evidence about Gitmo interrogations is equally relevant for his client, as DoD prosecutors have based at least parts of their case on evidence “extracted” from Khadr at the facility.”If handwritten notes were destroyed in accordance with the SOP (Standard Operating Procedures), the government intentionally deprived Omar’s lawyers of key evidence with which to challenge the reliability of his statements,” Kuebler stated to reporters in an email.DoD spokesman Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon told AP on Sunday evening that he was looking into the accusations.Like what you’re reading so far? Then why not order a full year (52 issues) of thee-newsletter for only $15? A major article covering an story not being told in the Corporate Press will be delivered to your email every Monday morning for a full year, for less than 30 cents an issue. Order Now!