The specific interrogation techniques, which critics denounce as torture, were authorized by the Justice Department in legal memos in 2002 and 2005. These techniques have previously been described in hearings, reports and memoranda. These techniques were abandoned by the CIA during the second George W. Bush term, and were barred by the incoming Obama administration in 2009. More: 5 Questions on the CIA Report Ahead of Its Release Here are some of the specific techniques formerly approved for use by the CIA interrogators. “Attention grasp” – Grabbing a detainee forcibly by the collar. Cramped confinement – Place the detainee in a dark, tight space for hours at a time. Cramped confinement “with an insect” - Developed for Abu Zubaydah, a militant commander allegedly allied with Osama bin Laden. CIA officers learned Mr. Zubaydah was afraid of insects, so they sought permission to place him in a box with a harmless bug such as a caterpillar, while telling him it was a stinging insect. People familiar with the matter say this technique was approved but not used. Facial hold – Holding the detainee’s head immobile during questioning. Facial slap or “Insult Slap” – Slapping a detainee in the face “with fingers slightly spread.” “The goal of the facial slap is not to inflict physical pain” but “to induce shock, surprise, and/or humiliation,” Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee wrote. Sleep deprivation – A detainee is forced to go without sleep for more than 48 hours. “You have orally informed us that you would not deprive Zubaydah of sleep for more than 11 days at a time and that you have previously kept him awake for 72 hours,” Mr. Bybee wrote. Stress positions – Requiring the detainee to stay in uncomfortable positions to induce muscle fatigue. “Walling” – Pushing a detainee “quick and forcefully” against a flexible wall. “The false wall is in part constructed to create a loud sound when the individual hits it, which will further shock or surprise… the individual,” Mr. Bybee wrote for the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel in 2002. Wall standing – “Used to induce muscle fatigue.” The detainee is forced to stand about four feet from a wall, leaning so that his arms resting against the wall carry some of his weight. “The individual is not permitted to move or reposition his hands or feet,” Mr. Bybee wrote. Waterboarding – A detainee lying on a gurney has a cloth placed over his face. Water is poured on the cloth, simulating the experience of drowning. Waterboarding was used against three detainees, according to people familiar with the matter. Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a suspect in the bombing of the USS Cole, was subjected to it twice, according to government documents; alleged Sept. 11 plot mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was subjected to it 183 times; Mr. Zubaydah was waterboarded at least 83 times.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 01:05:33 +0000
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