Interrogation rules revised for military

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Wednesday revised its rules for the interrogation of terrorism detainees, affording those suspects the same protections given prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions, and put new limitations on the procedures that military personnel may use when they interrogate prisoners in Iraq, Afghanistan or Guantánamo.

The banned techniques include forcing detainees to strip naked, perform sexual acts or pose in a sexual manner, according to Lt. Gen. John F. Kimmons, the Army's deputy chief of staff for intelligence. Interrogators also may not place hoods or sacks over detainees' heads, put duct tape over their eyes, or beat, shock with electricity or burn detainees.

The manual also bans water-boarding, which simulates the sensation of drowning, and prohibits interrogators from exposing detainees to cold temperatures or to treatment that can lead to heat injuries. Mock executions also are prohibited, and detainees can't be deprived of food, water and medical care. Dogs can't be used in any aspect of interrogations, Kimmons said.

The new manual, called "Human Intelligence Collector Operations," applies to all the armed services, not just the Army. It doesn't cover the CIA, which also has come under investigation for mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan and for allegedly keeping suspects in secret prisons elsewhere around the world since the Sept. 11 attacks.

The American Civil Liberties Union, in a report issued last year, said more than 40 detainees had died while in U.S. custody in Iraq and Afghanistan, many during interrogations. According to the ACLU documents, 21 of the deaths were homicides.

The manual authorizes 18 interrogation techniques, 16 of which were permitted under the previous 1992 manual, plus two new ones, Kimmons said. The new ones are "Mutt and Jeff," or good cop/bad cop, and "false flag," in which an interrogator can pose as someone other than an American to gain information.

The manual also includes a technique called "separation," which allows interrogators to keep terror suspects apart from each other so they can't coordinate their stories. It would be used only on unlawful combatants, not POWS, only as an exception and only with permission of a high-level commander, Kimmons said.

The new manual's release was accompanied by a seven-page Defense Department directive that prohibits a long list of acts: "cruel, inhumane treatment or punishment; outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment; murder, torture, corporal punishment, mutilation, the taking of hostages, collective punishment, execution without proper trial or authority; threats or acts of violence, including rape or forced prostitution; assault and theft, public curiosity, bodily injury and reprisals."

Under the directive, prisoners can't be subjected to medical or scientific experiments or sensory deprivation. The directive was signed Tuesday by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England.

The new directive requires that all prisoners be registered and allowed access to Red Cross representatives. It also orders Defense Department personnel to report possible or suspected mistreatment of prisoners.

Information from The Associated Press and the Chicago Tribune is included in this report.