WASHINGTON, June 10 (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Thursday issued new rules regarding the reporting and investigation of detainee deaths at U.S. hands.
The Army is investigating the deaths of nine detainees since December 2002 in Iraq and Afghanistan. At least 37 detainees have died in U.S. custody, most from natural causes, according to Army death certificates.
Rumsfeld's new rules require he be notified about any detainee deaths and that deaths be immediately reported to the relevant military service's investigative agency. That agency will in turn notify the Armed Force Medical Examiner, which will determine whether an autopsy is necessary.
"This new directive is part of a series of efforts to strengthen policies and eliminate procedural weaknesses that have come to light as a result of the deplorable events at Abu Ghraib prison," the Pentagon said in a release Thursday.
