Fraternity pranks at Guantanamo Bay

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) involvement and observations of detainee interrogations in Guantanamo Bay was discussed by Mr. Glenn A. Fine, Inspector General of the US Department of Justice spoke before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight where the Chairman William D. Delahunt (D-Mass.) and Ranking Member Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) presided.

Shortly before the beginning of the proceedings, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sent a memo to Chairman Delahunt urging him to question the roles of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Legal Adviser John Bellinger on the issue of torture. Chairman Delahunt discussed that it was important to find out if unfair treatment was sanctioned at the highest levels of accountability by U.S. troops.

Inspector General Fine testified that FBI agents in Guantanamo did not participate in joint interrogations of detainees in the way that other governmental agencies have been accused of doing. These accusations have included tying a dog leash to the detainee, stress positions and placing women’s underwear on his head. Rohrabacher defended Guantanamo troops, describing such actions as ‘hazing pranks from a fraternity’ which were merely humiliating and different from torture. Chairman Delahunt said that during interrogations, using a professional approach to question detainees was more successful than the “cowboy approach” troops have been alleged of practicing.