[JURIST] AP has obtained a letter written by an FBI counterterrorism expert working at Guantanamo Bay that complains of abusive military interrogations of prisoners as early as 2002. The letter, written by Thomas Harrington to Maj. Gen. Donald J. Ryder, the Army's chief law enforcement officer, described "highly aggressive interrogation techniques being used against detainees in Guantanamo" which he was refering to Ryder for "appropriate action." According to AP:

...in late 2002 an FBI agent observed an interrogation where Sgt. Lacey whispered in the ear of a handcuffed and shackled detainee, caressed him and applied lotion to his arms. This occurred during Ramadan, Islam's holy month when contact with females is considered particularly offensive to a Muslim man.

Later, the detainee appeared to grimace in pain, and the FBI agent asked a Marine who was present why. ``The Marine said (the interrogator) had grabbed the detainee's thumbs and bent them backward and indicated that she also grabbed his genitals.''

In September or October of 2002, FBI agents saw a dog used ``in an aggressive manner to intimidate a detainee,'' the letter said.

About a month later, agents saw the same detainee ``after he had been subjected to intense isolation for over three months ... totally isolated in a cell that was always flooded with light. By late November, the detainee was evidencing behavior consistent with extreme psychological trauma ...,'' the letter said.

In October 2002, another FBI agent saw a detainee ``gagged with duct tape that covered much of his head'' because he would not stop chanting from the Quran.