WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- An affidavit filed by a U.S. Marine at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base alleges that illegal abuse continues there.
The affidavit was sworn by a U.S. Marine sergeant serving at Guantanamo, and it was then filed with the Pentagon's inspector general by Marine Lt. Col. Colby C. Vokey, one of the defense lawyers for an "enemy combatant" at Guantanamo who faces trial by military commission.
"The abuse explained in the affidavit is offensive and violates United States and international law," Vokey wrote.
The Marine sergeant who made the sworn statement is assigned to be a paralegal on one of the commission trials. Her name and the trial name is blacked out in the document. She details meeting a 19-year-old sailor named Bo on Sept. 23 at the base bar.
"Bo told the other guards and me about him beating different detainees being held in the prison. One such story Bo told involved him taking a detainee by the head and hitting the detainee's head into the cell door," the affidavit states.
Bo told her his actions were known by others but that he had suffered no punishment.
Another guard, identified as Steven, told her he and other guards hit detainees, deny them water and take away prisoner's privileges for no reason to goad them into misbehaving so they can punish them when they object and complain.
"He said it is because he hates the detainees and that they are bad people," the affidavit states.
Another guard named Shawn told her mail is often withheld from detainees for six months or more at will.
The affidavit says "about five others in the group admitted to hitting detainees" to include punching them in the face.
