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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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August 10th, 2006
- Soldiers Say CIA Questioner Hit Detainee |
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Soldiers Say CIA Questioner
Hit Detainee By Eestes Thompson The Associated Press Thursday, August 10, 2006; 8:10 PM Raleigh, N.C. - Several Army
paratroopers testified Thursday they saw an ex-CIA contractor beat an Afghan
detainee during a 2003 interrogation about rocket attacks on a remote base. Attorneys for the first
American civilian charged with mistreating a detainee during the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan have said their client never hit Abdul Wali, who later died. Sgt. Kevin Gatten and staff
sergeants Matthew Johnson and Donald Rohwer were assigned to guard Wali. All
three told the jury they saw David Passaro assault him in some fashion, including
hitting Wali repeatedly with a metal flashlight and kicking him in the groin. "He occasionally hit
the prisoner on the forearms or the side of the knee," Rohwer said.
"He would do it if the prisoner said he didn't know anything." A fourth paratrooper, 2nd
Lt. David Allen, said Thursday he saw Passaro kick an unresponsive Wali
several times as he tried to revive him. During cross examination
Thursday, Gatten said Passaro had several friendly conversations with Wali
during the two days of questioning. Two additional paratroopers said they
didn't witness an interrogation or beating. Passaro, 40, who was a
former Special Forces medic working for the CIA as a contract employee, faces
four counts of assault and, if convicted, up to 40 years in prison. Passaro is standing trial in
his home state under a provision of the USA Patriot Act allowing charges
against U.S. citizens for crimes committed on land or facilities designated
for use by the U.S. government. Gatten said Thursday that at
one point during the interrogation, when Wali was alone in his cell, he
started talking to his shoes and appeared to be hallucinating. Wali later
asked for Passaro, who arrived a short time later and handed the paratrooper
a cup that smelled of alcohol. He proceeded to aim a high-intensity light in
Wali's eyes while asking questions. "Mr. Wali asked why he
was hitting him," Gatten said. "He had been hit and he was down.
Mr. Passaro said you don't know who's hitting you. It could be the
guard." At one point during the questioning,
Johnson said, Wali lunged for the soldier's pistol and later used his hands
to simulate pointing a pistol under his chin and appeared to ask that Johnson
shoot him. Another paratrooper who
worked as a guard, Staff Sgt. Adolfo Dominguez, also testified that Wali used
hand signals asking "me to shoot him." Several soldiers said
Thursday that Passaro told them Wali was not allowed to sleep while in
custody. They said Passaro ordered the soldiers to keep Wali standing in
stressful positions, including a chair-like stance with his knees bent and
back pressed up against a wall. "He told us to keep him
awake and hydrated - basically physically exhaust him," said former 82nd
Airborne solider Gilbert Monroig. "He wasn't allowed to rest." © 2006 The Associated Press External link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/10/AR2006081001536.html |