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Teaching Prisoner Abuse

by TChris

Sean Baker was a member of a Military Police company assigned to Guantanamo Bay in January 2003, when he was ordered to play the role of a detainee during a training exercise. Baker quickly learned how detainees are treated when things go wrong.

Baker says what took place next happened at the hands of four U.S. soldiers - soldiers he believes didn't know he was one of them - has changed his life forever. "They grabbed my arms, my legs, twisted me up and unfortunately one of the individuals got up on my back from behind and put pressure down on me while I was face down," said Baker. "Then he - the same individual - reached around and began to choke me and press my head down against the steel floor. After several seconds, 20 to 30 seconds ... when I couldn't breath, I began to panic and I gave the code word I was supposed to give to stop the exercise, which was 'red.'"

The beating didn't stop until one of the soldiers noticed that Baker was wearing Army boots.

Baker sustained a traumatic brain injury that left him with a seizure disorder. Military records confirm that his injury "was due to soldier playing role as a detainee who was uncooperative."

A "training" exercise implies teaching and supervision. Who supervised the senseless beating of a soldier? And what, exactly, was being taught?

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