The Di Stefano Files

New files linked to US involvement in Iraq

06-11-2009 - Some more secret and sensitive files have just been sent to JAR2, which are published below. The source of these files is the Italian lawyer Giovanni di Stefano, who has for a long time been defending members of the old Iraqi regime in their trials in Baghdad. The first files relate to a 5-page statement by Taha Yassin Ramadan, former Vice President of Iraq, and is published below in the original Arabic and with an English translation. Unfortunately, Mr Ramadan was executed on March 20 2007, but this statement shows how far his American interrogators were prepared to go in order to extract the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein from him. There can be no doubt that the methods described amount to a serious case of torture committed by US officials. Ramadan’s original statement (pages 1 to 5)

22 March 2006

كيف عوملت منذ اللحظة الأولى لإعتقالي من قبل القوات الأمريكية وقد تم اعتقالي مساء يوم 17/8/2003 في احد الدور السكنية في مدينة الموصل مسقط راسي حيث كنت هناك في حينه من قبل ميليشيات الإتحاد الكردستاني وبعد اعتقالي من قبلهم فوراً ثم تسليمي للقوات الأمريكية وعلى الفور تم نقلي الى مطار الموصل بعد ان تم تكبيل يدي من الخلف ووضع الكيس الأسود في رأسي وثم وضعي في طائرة هيلوكبتر وبعد ان تم ربطي على كرسي الطائرة من الأرجل و الصدر خلال ثلاث ساعات تقريباً ثم وصولي الى مطار بغداد الدولي وبعد نزولي من الطائرة ومسير بضع خطوات لا تزيد عن عشر امتار تم ايقافي ورفع الكيس الأسود من رأسي ومغمم العينين وجدت نفسي في غرفة متوسطة المساحة .

ويقف الى جانبي اربع اشخاص احدهم يرتدي ملابس مدنية بنطلون وقميص تيشيرت لون سمائي حسب ما اتذكر ، علمت فيما بعد انه هو الضابط المسؤول عن المجموعة وثلاث آخرين طوال القامة وقمحيين يرتدون ملابس الجيش الأمريكي المحتل احدهم مترجم وكان احدهم يحمل بيده عصا المنيوم و الآخر سوط جلدي بينما كنت ارتدي الدشداشة فقط وحافي القدميين بعد ان اجبروني على ترك الحذاء و اسير حافي القدميين .

طلب مني على الفور البروك على الركبتين وعلى الفور تم توجيه سؤال لي اين هو صدام حسين ؟ اين نجده ؟ حال قولي لا اعلم تم ركلي على الأرض وعندما قلت لهم اني متعب بدأ الضرب بالرجل على جسمي واكتافي وضربي بالعصا الألمنيوم و اجبروني على الزحف و استمر الحال وعندما طلبت منهم ماء للشرب قدموا لي الماء ووضعوا القنينة في فمي وضعوا جلوس وعندما وجدت الماء حار قلت لهم الرجاء اريد ماء بارد قال على الفور و إذ احد يسكبون ماء مثلج على جسمي و رأسي وقالوا هكذا ستشرب الماء كلما تطلب و استمر الحال لمدة ساعتين و بدأت الدماء تسيل من مرفقي ورطبتي على الأرض من الزحف وبعدها طلبوا مني النهوض وربطوا يدي ووضعوا الكيس الأسود وعلى رأسي بعد شد العينين و اقتادوني الى مكان آخر قريب شعرت بأنه غرفة خشبية وطلبوا مني مني عدم الجلوس بل المسير ذهاباً و إياباً داخل الغرفة دون توقف وقالوا سنعود بعد ساعات نريدك تفكر بسؤالنا بشكل جيد وغادروا الموقع وبلغوا الحرس الموجودين على عدم تركي اتوقف وبعد فترة طلبت من الحرس ان اذهب الى المرافق الصحية بعد ساعة تمت الاجابة واقتادوني الى البوكس الحديدي وأدخلوني البوكس ورفعوا الكيس عن رأسي لكي أرى وأغلقوا باب البوكس دون فك يدي من القيد وقلت لهم كيف أقضي حاجتي دون إطلاق يدي لم يستجيبوا إلي وبعد خمس دقائق تمت إعادتي الغرفة دون ان اقضي حاجتي وثم استمراري بالذهاب والإياب ونتيجة الإرهاق ولمرور أكثر من 12 ساعة على اعتقالي وشيء من الدوران وعدم الشعور بدأ الإدرار ينساب الى جسمي والأرض وعندما لاحظ الحرس ذلك جاؤو وركلوني على الأرض وامسكوا برقبتي وبدأ السحب على مكان الإدرار وأنا شبه فاقد للوعي لمدة خمس دقائق .

وبعد بضع ساعات لا ادري كم هي وجدت من يقودني من الغرفة وبعد بضع خطوات رفع الكيس من رأسي ووجدت نفسي في نفس الغرفة الاولى غرفة الزحف وقيل لي هل فكرت بالسؤال اين هو صدام حسين؟ حيث قلت ان السؤال واضح و اؤاكد لكم انني لا ادري اين هو الآن .

قالوا لي قل لنا اسم الشخص الآن وعنوان مسكنه وتلفونه لكي نذهب اليه لكي يقول لنا اين صدام حسين ، قلت لهم اين هذا الشخص وهل فعلا يوجد هذا الشخص واستمر التعذيب كما في المرة الاولى في الضرب والزحف واسلوب شرب الماء واستمر الحال لمدة خمس ايام تقريبا يوميا وفي يوم قيل لي يقال مخبأ في طيارة مروحية ويشير الى المناطق التي يجب ان يتواجد فيها صدام حسين وثبت ذلك على الخارطة ايضا اكدت لهم انني لا اعرف ذلك وهذه من خصوصيات الانسان وفي اليوم السابع وجه لي سؤال اخر حول مكان وجود الطيار الامريكي الذي سقط في الصحراء الغربية عام 1991 المدعو (راد ) قلت لهم لا علم لي بالأمر سوى علمت بأن موضوعه حسم عند وقف اطلاق النار وخلال تبادل الأسرى بين البلدين سمعت هذا من بعض الاخوان في الخارجية ولا حكم لي بالموضوع استمر نفس اسلوب التعذيب والزحف والعودة الى الغرفة الثانية والمسير ذهابا وايابا وفي يوم شعرت بالاغماء وضيق النفس واديت الشهادة وتمنيت من الله عز وجل اما الشهادة واما المعاونة لتحمل هذا التعذيب، سأل الظابط المترجم ماذا يقول قال المترجم انه يطلب الموت وهذه شهادة الموت وعلى الفور وضع رجله وبكل ثقله على يدي حتى خرجت من موضعها ولا زال اثار ذلك واضح في اصبعي وقال لي لا ندعك تموت بل نقربك من الموت ونعيد لك الحياة اما ان تعترف وتتعاون معنا قلت لهم اني ادعوا الله لمعاونتي قالوا لا تقل الله ان امريكا تستطيع ان تعاونك ان تعاونت معها وليس الله وبعد الان لا تذكر الله امامنا واستمر الحال على التعذيب في الزحف والضرب بالعصا والارجل على جسمي ولمدة تقرب من اسبوع ثاني وفي يوم وجدت يوجهوا لي سؤال ثالث و هو ان اذكر لهم اسماء عناصر المقاومة في الموصل وبغداد ... قلت لهم لا علم لي و اني كنت مختفياً و القي القبض علي مع عائلتي و اطفالي ولم اتصل بأحد ، لم تقنعهم اجابتي وبدأ برنامج الضرب بالعصا و الأرجل و الزحف وكل ساعتين يتم اعادتي الى الغرفة الأخرى و بعد ساعات تتم اعادتي للتعذيب.

بالنسبة للماء كل يوم كانوا يضعون قنينة ماء صغيرة اقل من لتر فقط كنت اشرب منها قليلاً وكل 24 ساعة يأخذوني الى البوكس اغتسل ببقية الماء وخلال الأسابيع الثلاثة لم اغسل وجهي ولا جسمي ولا يدي وانا حافي القدميين وشبه عاري لأن الجنود في التعذيب مزقوا الدشداشه الى قطع ودون ملابس داخلية فكنت شبه عاري و لم يعيدوا لي الحذاء الا قبل يومين من خروجي من منطقة التعذيب (مطار بغداد الدولي) وضعوا بدلة زرقاء البسها على جسمي و ارمي الدشداشة الممزقة وفي يوم 9/9/2003 اي بعد 22 يوم من التعذيب المتواصل ما عدا آخر يومين جاؤا الي في معسكر كروبر ووضعوني في غرفة لوحدي ومنعوا ان يتحدث معي اي من المعتقلين ولمدة ثلاثة اشهر يومياً اخرج للسير لوحدي لمدة نصف ساعة و اذهب مرتين الى المرافق و منعت من حلاقة الوجه و لمدة اربعة اشهر .

خلال فترة ال 22 يوم التعذيب جاءني الطبيب مرتين مرة ذكرت له حالتي وهو وجد الورم اللذي في ركبتي و الجروح في المرافق وعدم القدرة على الوقوف قدم لي حبوب اسبرين عدد اثنين لم اتناولها وعندما جاء في المرة الثانية وقال هل تناولت الدواء ؟ فقلت هل تقصد حبوب الأسبرين ؟ قال نعم ، قلت ان حالتي بحاجة الى حبوب اسبرين !! قال هذا هو علاجنا وانك تستطيع ان تعالج نفسك بالتعاون مع المحققين لم اجبه لأنه كان يتحدث بمنطق لا يتعلق بطبيب انساني .

وعند اول لقاء لي مع الصليب الأحمر اي بعد شهرين من التعذيب ذكرت لهم حالتي بالتفصيل و اطلعوا على الجروح و آثار التعذيب وكانت واضحة في حينها ولكن لم يحدث شيء حتى استفسار او تحقيق لم يحدث وعندما بدأ التحقيق في شهر تشرين 2003 و سألني المحقق عن سبب وضعي السيء وعدم قدرتي على الجلوس و الرؤيا ؟ شرحت له السبب و استغرب كثيراً ولكن لم يفعل شيء و اسم هذا المحقق استنلي . المهم هو اول محقق التقيت به في معسكر كروبر حال انتقالي اليه .

Q: Bierce
A: Ramadan

Q: Did you write this statement?
A: نعم

Q: Do you know who your interrogators worked for?
A: كانوا يعملون ضمن جهاز المخابرات الأمريكية سي اي ايه
Q: did you ever see anyone from U.S Navy?
A:اني لا اعلم ما هو شكل او زي القوات البحرية لذا لا استطيع ان اقول بأني رأيتهم ام لم أراهم

Q: did you ever see anyone from U.S Army?
A:وجدت عدد من العناصر التي ترتدي الملابس العسكرية للجيش الأمريكي حيث كان عدد منهم يحرسون الغرفة ويقومون بأعمال فوضوية لضرب الأبواب و اصوات مزعجة من اجل منعي من النوم ولكني لا اعرف هل هم من افراد الجيش الأمريكي او اية جهه اخرى

Q: were all of the people who abused you from the CIA?
A:حسب ما اعتقد ان المجموعة الأربعة اللذين عذبوني كانو سي اي ايه

Q: were the swards who threw you on the floor in the wooden room CIA or military?
A:اعتقد انهم كانوا من الجيش ولكن لا استطيع ان اجزم ذلك

Q: Do you know what branch?
A: لا اعلم لأني لا اعرف زي الصنوف العسكرية للجيش الأمريكي

Q: what type of uniform were they wearing?
A: لم اشاهد في حينها اية علامة علىالملابس لأني في وضع غير قادر على التركيز ولكني اتذكر شكل الملابس هي نفسها التي اراها الآعلى حراس معسكرنا

Q: Do you have anything to add to this statement?

A:كلا

SWORN STATEMENT 22 MARCH 2006

I was arrested by the American forces and I was arrested the evening of 17 aug 2003, in a house in Al Mosul, my hometown. I was handed over to the American forces by the Kurdistan militia. I was immediately transferred to Al Mosul airport after I was handcuffed behind my back and a black bag was put over my head. I was put in a helicopter and I was tied on the chair, on my legs and my chest. After almost 3 hours we arrived at the international airport of Baghdad and then when we left the plane, we walked for a few steps, no more than 10 meters. I was stopped and the black bag was lifted from my head, and the blindfold was too, and I found myself in a medium sized room.

Next to me there were four people, one of them was dressed in civilian clothes, trousers, light blue t-shirt, as far as I can remember. I found out later that he was the officer in charge of the group. There were three more, tall, dark, wearing the uniforms of the occupying American army. One was the translator, the other had an aluminum rod and the other had a leather whip, I was only wearing the deshdasha (arab male robes) and I was barefoot after they forced me to take my shoes off and walk barefoot.

I was immediately asked to kneel down and I was asked again immediately `Where is he, Saddam Hussein? Where can we find him?'' as soon as I said I don't know, I was kicked to the floor. When I said I was tired, they began kicking me on my body, my shoulders, I was hit by the aluminum rod and forced to crawl and this went on. And when I asked for water to drink, they put the bottle in my mouth but I found it was hot. When I pleaded with them for cold water, they poured ice water on my body and my head, they said `This is how you will drink the water as you requested,' and that went on for two hours. Then my elbows and knees started bleeding on the floor from crawling. Then they askedme to stand up, they tied my hands, they put the black bag on my head after they blindfolded me and they led me to a nearby place. I felt it was a wooden room. They asked me not to sit down and to keep walking back and forth inside the room non-stop, saying we will return in a few hours. We want you to think hard of our question and they left. They told the guards not to let me stop. After, I asked the guards to go to the restroom and an hour after my request they led me to the iron box (portable toilet). They led me in, took the bag off my head so I can see and they closed the door, without untying my hands. I said `How can I use the bathroom without untrying my hands,' but they didn't answer. Five minutes later I was led back to the room without having relieved myself. I resumed my walking back and forthand as a result of exhaustion and after 12 hours from my arrest, and some dizziness and numbness, some urine spilled on my body and on the floor. When the guards noticed they came and kicked me on the floor and took me by the neck and dragged me where the urine was and I was almost unconscious for five minutes.

After a few hours, I don't know how many, somebody led me from the room and after a few steps removed the bag from my head and I found myself in the same first room where I crawled. And I was asked if I had thought about the question Where is Saddam Hussein to which I answered the question is clear and I assure you I don't know where he is now.

They told me Tell us the name of the person now, the address of his house and his telephone so we can go to him to tell us where saddam hussein is. I told them where is that person and does this person actually exist? Then the torture continued as before with hitting and crawling, the same way of drinking water and that went on for almost 5 days, daily. And one day they told me There is word of a hiding place in a helicopter and pointed to the areas on the map where Saddam Hussein could be. I assured them that I do not know that and that that is something I wouldn't know. And on the seventh day I was asked another question about the place where the American pilot fell in the western desert in 1991 called Rod. I told them I don't know about that, but I know that this subject was over with during the exchange of prisoners between the two countries after the cease fire. I heard that from some colleagues from the ministry of foreign affairs and that it had nothing to do with me. The methods of torture and crawling and returning to the second room and the walking back and forth continued. And one day I felt dizzy and I had shortness of breath and I read the Muslim shahada (preparing myself to die) and I prayed to Allah almighty either martyrdom or to give me strength to withstand this torture. The officer asked the translator what is he saying, the translator said he is asking to die and this is the death testimony. Immediately he put his foot on my hands with all his weight until it dislocated and you can still see the mark on my finger and said to me, we will not let you die, but we'll take you near death and bring you back to life or you confess and cooperate with us. I told them I pray to Allah to help me, they said Don't say Allah, because America can help you if you cooperate with her and not Allah and don't mention Allah in front of us from now on. The same conditions of torture, crawling, beating with the stick on the legs on my body, continued for almost another week and one day they asked me a third question. To tell them the names of the resistance elements in mosul and baghdad. I told them I do not know, I was hiding and I was arrested when I was with my family and my children and I did not contact anybody. My answer did not convince them and the program of beating with the rod on my legs and crawling resumed and every two hours I was returned to the other room and after a few hours I would be returned for torture.

As for the water every day, they put a small water bottle, less than a liter, I drank a little bit from it and once every 24 hours they take me to the box and I use the rest of the water to clean myself after. For three weeks I did not wash my face my body or my hands. I was barefoot, almost naked, because the soldiers ripped my deshdasha to pieces during torture, and I had no underwear. I was almost naked. They only returned the shoes after two days before I left the torture area (international baghdad airport). They gave me a blue suit to wear and throw away the torn deshdasha. And on 9/9/1993, after 22 days of continued torture except for the last two days, they came to me in camp CROPPER And they put me in a room by myself and they forbade any of the inmates to speak to me. And for three months I would go for a daily walk alone for half an hour and I would go to the restroom twice but I was forbidden from shaving for four months. During the 22 days of torture the doctor came to me twice. One time I told him my condition, he found the swelling in my knees and the wounds on my elbows and inability to stand up. He gave two aspirin pills, which I didn't take. When he came for the second time and said did you take the medicine and I asked him you mean the aspirin pills he said yes. I said do you think my condition calls for aspirin? He said this is our treatment, and you can treat yourself by cooperating with the investigators. I did not answer because his logic is not that of a humanitarian medic.

During my first meeting with the red cross, i.e. after 2 months of torture, I mentioned to them my condition in detail and they saw the wounds and the torture scars which was clear then but nothing happened, not even questioning or investigation, nothing happened. Whn the investigatio started in NOVEMBER 2003 and the investigator asked me about my bad condition and my inability to sit stand or to see, I explained to him the reason and he was very surprised but he did not do anything. And the name of this investigator is stanley. And he was the first investigator I met since i was transferred to CROPPER camp.

Q: Did you write this statement? A: Yes

Q: Do you know who your interrogators worked for? A: they worked for the CIA (american intelligence agency)

Q: did you ever see anyone from U.S. Navy? A: I do not know the naval forces' uniform nor do I know what it looks like, therefore I cannot say that I did see them or did not see them.

Q: did you ever see anyone from U.S. Army? A: I found a number of officers who wore the military uniform of the american army, where some of them were guarding the room and they make noise by hitting the doors in order to keep me from sleeping but I do not know if they were individuals from the american army or any other.

A: were all of the people who abused you fro the CIA? Q: as I far as I believe the group of four who tortured me were CIA

Q: were the swards who threw you on the floor in the wooden room CIA or military? A: I believe they were army but I cannot say that for sure.

Q: Do you know what branch? A: I do not know, because I do not know the uniform of the different branches of the American army.

Q: What type of uniform were they wearing? A: I did not see at the type any markings on the uniform because I was not able to concentrate but I remember it's the same uniform that I see now on the guards of our camp.

Q: Do you have anything to add to this statement? A: No.

Mr Terry Davis
Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
Strasbourg
FRANCE
URGENT FAX
20th March 2007

Dear Mr Davis:

TAHA YASSIN RAMADAN

On behalf of the family of the above and without doubt on behalf of our client, now deceased as above, we wish to thank you for your support in our efforts to preclude a further act of ‘unjustified homicide’ masqueraded by a sentence of death imposed by a court that has been deemed nothing short of a sham by all and sundry within the international community.

Our client was executed this morning at 05.05am (Baghdad Time) despite calls from the international community to commute the said sentence and more important prior to any decision having been taken by President Talabani on our application to commute.

We and all who defend within the IHT and the families of Saddam Hussein, Barzan Al Tikriti, Judge Awwad Al Bandar, and Taha Yassin Ramadan now call upon the Council of Europe to take precise, prompt and decisive action against Iraq by way of imposition of sanctions in accordance with the spirit of the Treaty of Rome founded for the purposes and advancement of trade and commerce. It is clear that only a united voice within the Council of Europe coupled with the strength of sanctions can have any real impact on a regime that is now attaining a reputation by far more brutal, unjust, and uncaring than the previous regime.

We are thus calling upon you as the President of the Council to propose an urgent meeting of the Council to discuss the question of sanctions against Iraq in order that further executions are not carried especially in light of the absolute unfairness in the ongoing Anfal Trial and the expected sentences of death that, we understand, have already been agreed politically between the Judiciary and the Iraqi Prime Minister. If even symbolic sanctions are imposed and the aim achieved then the four protagonists that have died will not have been totally in vain.

We urge this upon you with urgency.
Yours sincerely

STUDIO LEGALE INTERNAZIONALE
Giovanni Di Stefano/Issam Ghazzawi/Bader Al Bandar

Some important documents have been disclosed as a result of the trials taking place in Bagdad. For example, it was revealed that in 1988 Iraq had been in secret negotiations with Turkey regarding the Al-Anfal Campaign, an operation that resulted in well over 100,000 deaths, and the displacement of a million Kurds. This information about Turkish involvement in Al-Anfal is still considered so sensitive and top secret that the Turkish government has blocked Turkish newspapers from reporting about it

Top Secret document from the Iraqi Ministry of defense [turkey involv anfal.pdf]

Some other documents passed to JAR2 are the following: An order from the Attorney General of the USA, about the interception of all communication into and out of the US which could be connected to Al Qaeda or other terrorist groups

Letter from The Attorney General, January 17 2007 [ag011707.pdf]

A document of the USA’s assessment of Iraq and its strategy for the future:

CRS Report for Congress Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security [96429.pdf]

Before the Iraq War there was a strong political motive for going to War

The Geopolitics of Energy [2PM_mohamedi.ppt]

NEW WRITER says: JAR2 brings you the documents that cannot be found elsewhere. Read here the information that governments have suppressed.