Habibullah
Encyclopedia
Mullah Habibullah was an Afghan
who died while in US custody on December 4, 2002.
His death was one of those classed as a homicide
, though the initial military statement described his death as due to natural causes.
Habibullah's brother was a Taliban leader.
Carlotta Gall the New York Times reporter in Afghanistan was the first to discover the story in 2003.
Captain Carolyn Wood
, commander of Alpha Company of the 519th Military Intelligence Battalion
and
Captain Christopher Beiring, commander of the 377th Military Police Company directed their troops, at the Bagram Collection Point, to confine their captives with their arms handcuffed above their heads in order to deprive them of sleep.
Lt. Gen. Daniel K. McNeill was later quoted in the press denying that Bagram prisoners had been chained to the ceiling or held in chains attached to the ceiling.
Their troops routinely kneed their captives in the side of their thighs. They called these "compliance blows". During a Criminal Investigation Division inquiry their troops claimed they had been told -- incorrectly -- that this kind of blow was a legal, authorized use of force.
Habibullah's autopsy was performed two days after his death, and classed his death as a homicide
.
Dr. Ingwerson said the cause of death was "Pulmonary embolism due to blunt force injury to the legs."
But this did not prevent the GIs staffing the prison from continuing to use these "compliance blows", and a second Afghani, named Dilawar died four days later, on December 10, 2002, under practically identical circumstances. Dr. Elizabeth Rouse, the coroner for Dilawar, the other murder victim, said she had seen similar damage to a man whose legs had been run over by a bus.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
who died while in US custody on December 4, 2002.
His death was one of those classed as a homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
, though the initial military statement described his death as due to natural causes.
Habibullah's brother was a Taliban leader.
Carlotta Gall the New York Times reporter in Afghanistan was the first to discover the story in 2003.
Captain Carolyn Wood
Carolyn Wood
Carolyn Wood, United States Army captain, is a military intelligence officer who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. She was implicated by the Fay Report to have "failed" in several aspects of her command regarding her oversight of interrogators at Abu Ghraib...
, commander of Alpha Company of the 519th Military Intelligence Battalion
519th Military Intelligence Battalion
The 519th Military Intelligence Battalion is a unit of the United States Army.Personnel of the 519th MI Battalion were alleged to have killed the Afghan detainee Dilawar in custody at Bagram Theater Internment Facility in December 2002....
and
Captain Christopher Beiring, commander of the 377th Military Police Company directed their troops, at the Bagram Collection Point, to confine their captives with their arms handcuffed above their heads in order to deprive them of sleep.
Lt. Gen. Daniel K. McNeill was later quoted in the press denying that Bagram prisoners had been chained to the ceiling or held in chains attached to the ceiling.
Their troops routinely kneed their captives in the side of their thighs. They called these "compliance blows". During a Criminal Investigation Division inquiry their troops claimed they had been told -- incorrectly -- that this kind of blow was a legal, authorized use of force.
Habibullah's autopsy was performed two days after his death, and classed his death as a homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
.
Dr. Ingwerson said the cause of death was "Pulmonary embolism due to blunt force injury to the legs."
But this did not prevent the GIs staffing the prison from continuing to use these "compliance blows", and a second Afghani, named Dilawar died four days later, on December 10, 2002, under practically identical circumstances. Dr. Elizabeth Rouse, the coroner for Dilawar, the other murder victim, said she had seen similar damage to a man whose legs had been run over by a bus.
Prosecutions
By 2005, at least 15 American soldiers had been recommended for prosecution by Army investigators for abuse of detainees at Bagram. At least five of the soldiers were charged with crimes involving Habibullah's treatment. Captain Christopher Beiring was charged with dereliction of duty and making false statements; the charges were dropped, but he was reprimanded. Sgt. Christopher Greatorex was tried on charges of abuse, maltreatment, and making false statements; he was acquitted on September 7, 2005. Sgt. Darin Broady was tried on charges of abuse and acquitted on September 9, 2005. Sgt. Brian Cammack pled guilty to charges of assault and making false statements; he was sentenced to three months in jail, a fine, reduced in rank to private, and given a bad conduct discharge. Pfc. Willie Brand was convicted of other charges, but acquitted of charges relating to abuse of Habibullah.External links
- Failures of Imagination, Columbia Journalism ReviewColumbia Journalism ReviewThe Columbia Journalism Review is an American magazine for professional journalists published bimonthly by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961....
, 2005, issue 5 - Human Rights First; Command’s Responsibility: Detainee Deaths in U.S. Custody in Iraq and Afghanistan