In response to sharp public criticism, the Department of Defense modified its Field Manual on intelligence interrogation, (PDF) taking pains to note that many practices associated with Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo were illegal. Observers have, however, continued to criticize the manual’s Appendix M—a series of harsh measures that may be authorized under special circumstances for limited periods of time by senior commanders. Now fourteen prominent figures from the intelligence community, each well known for his expertise in interrogations, have written to Defense Secretary Gates raising objections to Appendix M.
Stuart Herrington, a retired Army colonel, notes that “separation” appears to have been confused with “isolation”
By contrast, Appendix M appears to contemplate that severely abusive techniques may be associated with “separation,” including the use of earmuffs and pitch-black goggles for periods of up to 12 hours, as well as a sleep-deprivation regime under which a prisoner is allotted no more than 4 hours of sleep a day for up to 30 days. The interrogators call these techniques “ineffective” and “counterproductive.” “The use of sensory deprivation techniques, extreme isolation and stress positions is likely to lead to false information, facilitate enemy recruitment, and further erode the reputation of the United States,” they write.
The letter is also drawing support from human-rights advocates. Calling Appendix M a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Human Rights First has issued a
report (PDF) backing up the interrogators. “In addition to opening the door to abuse, Appendix M also takes a valuable interrogation approach, ‘separation,’ and puts it out of reach in situations where it could be employed effectively (and humanely),” the human-rights organization states.
The U.S. Army Field Manual on Interrogation: A Strong Document in Need of Careful RevisionChanges in the 2006 Manual that Open the Door to Abuse
Deleted Language
Some of the protections explicitly articulated in the 1992 version of the manual do not
appear in the 2006 version. Language outlawing two abusive tactics — the use of stress
positions, and sleep manipulation — has been removed from the new manual.
Indeed, the 1992 manual defines physical torture to include “forcing an individual to stand,
sit, or kneel in abnormal positions for prolonged periods of time.”5 And it lists “abnormal
sleep deprivation” as an example of “mental torture.”6
The fact that these explicit prohibitions have been stripped from the new manual raises
troubling questions about whether the U.S. intends to green-light the use of tactics it once
clearly regarded as torture.
The abusive techniques authorized by Appendix M include:
• Extreme isolation – Appendix M does explicitly prohibit sensory deprivation,
however it explicitly permits the use of goggles, blindfolds, and earmuffs to
physically cut off detainees from each if it is deemed “expedient.”7
• Sleep manipulation – for reasons not articulated by the appendix, sleep
manipulation is authorized alongside separation. Interrogators are permitted to
limit detainees to four hours of sleep over any 24-hour period. This limit,
however, is open to manipulation as it could be interpreted to permit interrogators
to bookend the detainee’s rest around a 40-hour interrogation period. And there is
no prohibition against stringing these 40-hour sessions along indefinitely—for a
period of months or even years—as long as it is approved by the combat
commander every 30 days.8
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