Joshua Claus

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Please improve this article if you can. (March 2008)

Joshua R. Claus is a former member of the United States Army, whose unit was present both at Abu Ghraib and at the Bagram Theater Detention Facility.[1][2]

[edit] Claus's role in the deaths in custody of Dilawar and Habibullah

Claus plead guilty to playing a role in the routine abuse of captives held in extrajudicial detention in the Bagram Theatre Detention Facility in 2002.[3][4] Claus was charged with assault, prisoner maltreatment, and lying to investigators.

Claus was named, along with 27 other GIs for the role they played in the routine abuse. At least two of the captives were killed in custody during the period Claus's unit, the 519th Military Intelligence Battalion was assigned to Bagram.

Military pathologists classified the deaths of two of the captives, Habibullah and Dilawar as homicides.

Further information: Bagram torture and prisoner abuse

Fourteen of the 28 GIs were eventually to face charges. Military Prosecutors decided that the responsibilities for the men's death was spread too broadly for any one GI to face murder or manslaughter charges.

Claus plead guilty, and received a five month sentence. in 2005.

[edit] Claus's interrogation of Omar Khadr

On March 14, 2008 it became known that Claus was one of Omar Khadr's first interrogators.[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Carlotta Gall. "Suicide Bomber on Motorbike Kills 8 Afghan Soldiers and a Civilian", New York Times, September 28, 2005. Retrieved on 2008-03-26. 
  2. ^ a b Steven Edwards. "Was Omar Khadr coerced?", National Post, Friday, March 14, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-03-26. "Legal arguments before the U.S. war crimes commission in Guantanamo Bay indicated Sgt. Joshua Claus of military intelligence participated in many, maybe all, of the interrogations of the Canadian terror suspect after U.S. forces delivered him to the Bagram detention centre in Afghanistan in July 2002." 
  3. ^ "Abuse Cases", PEGC. Retrieved on 2008-03-26. "charged with assault, prisoner maltreatment, and lying to investigators" 
  4. ^ "Other Abuse Cases", PEGC. Retrieved on 2008-03-26. "The next morning, Dec. 9, 2002, Dilawar was subjected to his final interrogation at which he was unable to kneel when ordered or physically comply with anything. This caused the interrogation session to erode to more physical abuse. An interrogator identified as Spc. Joshua Claus took over from Walls, who remained present. Dilawar's last interrogation eroded into more abuse and assault and he was returned to his cell and re-shackled.

    "Dilawar was found dead the next morning."