GITMO "Suicides": "Everyone On Duty-Ordered To Write Statements-EVERY 1 Of Those Statements-MISSING!

The "Camp No" deaths: Defense Department's own statements contradict Guantanamo suicide claims

Serious doubts have been raised about the three supposed suicides of prisoners at Guantanamo in June 2006. A report from Seton Law Law School had shown that the official Naval Criminal Investigation Service report supporting the suicide claim was not credible. Harpers writer Scott Horton reported the testimony of four tower guards on duty that night outside the camp that contradicted the official account. Those guards' testimony suggested, rather, that the prisoners died at another previously unreported site, dubbed "Camp No" by the guards. (Does the site exist? "No, it doesn't.") The guards testimony raised the prospect that the alleged suicides were something else and were made to appear as suicides.

Today the Seton Hall team has released a new report dissecting the official Department of Defense responses to these previous reports. The new report -- DOD Contradicts DOD: An Analysis of the Response to Death in Camp Delta -- demonstrates that the DOD responses are about as credible as the original NCIS report, that is, not at all. Rather, the responses suggest a frantic attempt to salvage a cover-up that can't be salvaged once it receives scrutiny.

Most importantly, however, the Seton Hall authors point out that all of the military personnel statements from that nigh are missing. As lead author Seton Hall professor Mark stated in a press release:

The Center for Policy and Research Report shows that each of the cell block guards on duty that night gave two statements, and the first statement for each is missing. The only statements from the guards in the NCIS reportwere made only after those guards had been threatened with prosecution because of the contents of their previous—and now missing—statements.

Not only are the Alpha Block Guards first statements missing, but the Center for Policy & Research discovered that all of the contemporaneous statements from every person on duty that night are missing.

Professor Denbeaux said: “Everyone on duty that night, in addition the Alpha Block guards, was ordered to write sworn statements as soon as the detainees were declared dead. And every one of those statements is missing.”

more:
http://law.shu.edu/About/News_Events/releases.cfm?id=97957

If, three and a half years after the three men died, and seven weeks after Seton Hall revealed the failings of the investigation, this is the strongest response the DOD could muster, there is reason to suspect that no good response exists. The initial investigation into the deaths of three detainees on June 9, 2006, was flawed, the DOD's response is flawed, and a new investigation is necessary to find out what really happened that night.

more:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Camp-No-deaths-Defe-by-Stephen-Soldz-100205-602.html

:eyes:

:sarcasm:

Keep looking forward! Don't look back. Keep the blinders on...er...

The new Seton Hall group's report isn't very good. Ironically, given the title (DOD Contradicts DOD), it often doesn't match their own first report, which was more carefully done.

"The Center for Policy and Research Report shows that each of the cell block guards on duty that night gave two statements, and the first statement for each is missing. The only statements from the guards in the NCIS report were made only after those guards had been threatened with prosecution because of the contents of their previous—and now missing—statements."

According to the Seton Hall group's first report, the reports of the earlier (June 10th) interviews, from before they were warned about suspicion of false statements, are right where they're supposed to be. Check page A-3 of the first Seton Hall report, and you'll see them listed with the page numbers from the NCIS master file. Those pages are reproduced in either the NCIS pdf file or the CITF pdf file. I've seen them; they plainly aren't missing.

"Everyone on duty that night, in addition the Alpha Block guards, was ordered to write sworn statements as soon as the detainees were declared dead. And every one of those statements is missing."

The Seton Hall group's first report says, "The SOPs require all personnel involved in incidents to write sworn statements (DA 2823 form). Initially, some of those involved in the incident were asked to do so. No sworn statements were available for the NCIS investigators, however, because personnel were then ordered to stop writing them" (49). One of the guards explained he was told to give a statement directly to the NCIS instead. (NCIS 944) We don't know how many of the 2823 forms were completed; I've only seen reference to one completed one. I agree with the implication that any completed ones should have been kept with the investigative materials, but it's not quite like the press release makes it appear.

I thought the first Seton Hall group report was very useful, but the new one is too careless and misleading. I've got some harsh comments about its main findings about ten posts down at this link (where I've collected a bunch of info in response to Horton et al):

http://fray.slate.com/discuss/forums/thread/3644875.aspx?ArticleID=2243294

Sanpete's report not so reliable... In third paragraph you tell us they are not missing, you've seen them.

In the second to last paragraph you state: "We don't know how many of the 2823 forms were completed; I've only seen reference to one completed one."

Well, you saw a reference to one? You've seen the missing ones? What is it my boy?

"My boy"? Presumptuous, aren't you?

The statements that the Seton Hall group claims are missing in the first quote in my post aren't 2823 reports. They're reports taken orally and written out by investigative agents. Those reports aren't missing--I gave you the page number in the first Seton Hall report where you can find their locations.

2823 reports, the kind of testimony referred to in the second quote, are written by the witnesses themselves. I know of one such report that was completed, possibly there were a few more, but it appears most personnel never completed them, as pointed out in the first Seton Hall report.