'I asked for help and warned of this but nobody would listen'

Prison conditions

"Prisoners were forced to live in damp cool cells. MI [military intelligence] has also instructed us to place a prisoner in an isolation cell with little or no clothes, no toilet or running water, no ventilation or window for as much as three days. MI personnel and even CID agents were present at these times. On or about the first week of Jan 2004 ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross] was to make an appearance at the facility. Prisoners that were not processed were rushed out to processing immediately to be processed. I pulled Lt Col Phillabaum aside while he was in 1A. I questioned him about how MI wants things done and about how prisoners were being treated in 1A/B. His reply was "Don't worry about it." I have asked for support from BN [battalion] and the company as to dealing with certain prisoners' behaviour and have received nothing."

"I had a few small rooms within the tiers ... I was often told to place them in these rooms that were as small as 3ft by 3ft. When I brought this up with the acting BN commander he stated "I don't care if he has to sleep standing up."

"Prisoners were forced to sleep in areas not suitable, such as tents that had water in them from rain, only 2 or 3 blankets to shield them from the weather. A prisoner with a clearly visible mental condition was shot with non-lethal rounds for standing near the fence singing when a lesser means of force could have been used."

"The hardsite never knew who to accept or not to accept. MI prisoners were left in cells for as many as 60 days before their handler would ever know that they were there."

· Use of dogs

"MI has encouraged and told us great job that they were now getting positive results and information. CID has been present when the military working dogs were used to intimidate prisoners at MI's request. [A] CID agent told the soldier working 1A to stress one prisoner out as much as possible that he wanted to talk to him the next day. On the 18th Jan 2004 an unruly prisoner with a broken arm. The prisoner was placed in a head lock and choked out in the presence of CID agent team."

· Death in custody

"Back around Nov an OGA prisoner was brought to 1A. They stressed him out so bad that the man passed away. They put his body in a body bag and packed him in ice for approximately 24 hours in the shower in the 1B. The next day the medics came in and put his body on a stretcher, placed a fake IV in his arm and took him away. This OGA was never processed and therefore never had a number."

Health facilities

"There was a large breakout of body lice among many prisoners. Only solution given was razors.

"Prisoners that were infected with TB were housed in the same tier as other prisoners and ... the soldiers to be possibly infected by this airborne virus.

· Freedom of religious expression

"Prisoners have a mosque at the facility but are not allowed the privilege to go to it."

Two emails, one written before the abuse was discovered and one after are also telling.

· December 18, 2003

Email to Mimi Frederick

"It is very interresting (sic) to watch them interrogate these people. They don't usually allow others to watch them interrogate but since they like the way I run the prison they make an exception ...

We have had a very high rate with our style of getting them to break. They usually end up breaking within hours ..."

· January 22, 2004

"Dear Mimi,

I am feeling so bad at how the army has come down on me. They always said that shit rolls downhill and guess who is at the bottom? I have asked for help and warned of this and nobody would listen. I told the battalion commander that I didn't like the way it was going and his reply was 'Don't worry about it. I give you permission to do it'.

"I just wish I could talk to someone about what is going on but I was ordered not to talk to anyone besides my attorney and CID. As far as trusting someone, DON'T."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1207452,00.html