Apr. 1, 2005 – A memo signed by Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, the former commander of US-led forces in Iraq, authorized interrogators to use twelve techniques that went far beyond the limits established in the Army?s own Field Manual.
The September 2003 memo, obtained by the ACLU and released publicly Tuesday, lists 29 interrogation techniques in all that Sanchez approved for use. The dozen not included in the Army manual include: the use of military dogs to "exploit Arab fear of dogs"; the use of "stress positions," in which a prisoner is placed in painful bodily positions to try to get them to talk; and "environmental manipulation" such as sleep deprivation, isolation and exposing a prisoner to extreme heat and cold.
"General Sanchez authorized interrogation techniques that were in clear violation of the Geneva Conventions and the Army?s own standards," ACLU attorney Amrit Singh said in a statement posted on the group?s web site. "He and other high-ranking officials who bear responsibility for the widespread abuse of detainees must be held accountable."
Sanchez left his post in Iraq last July and has since been promoted to commander of US Army V Corps in Germany.
