US Terrorist Prison Operating Manual Leaked on Web

The Guantanamo Bay detention camp became famous for holding terrorists, Al-Qaeda members or other Talibans, usually for interrogation purposes. Because so many dangerous people are coming to the prison, a maximum security system is needed in order to be sure that nobody manages to escape or to commit suicide (don't be amazed, there were some cases when people were found dead in jail). That's why the officials created an operating manual which includes all the details of the internal organization and precise information concerning the prisoners. Reuters informs the manual was made "for official use only" and, although it was not supposed to be private, it was recently leaked on the Internet as a free download.

According to the same source, the manual has no less than 238 pages, being "signed by Army Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, who was then the commander of the prison that still holds about 300 al Qaeda and Taliban suspects." The publication entitled "Standard Operating Procedures for Camp Delta" was published on a website which seems to be down at the time of writing this article.

There are several interesting rules included in the manual. For example, one says that prisoners must be isolated approximately 2 weeks after they first come to the prison, Reuters reports. Moreover, the Styrofoam cups used by the terrorists must be confiscated if they have any sign of message or any other damage on it because many of the prisoners used them as a way to communicate. "If the cup is damaged or destroyed, the detainee will be disciplined for destruction of government property," it is mentioned in the manual according to Reuters.

But there are also clear signs that the United States Army, which has been criticized for infringing the human rights, does not abuse the prisoners: "Abuse, or any form of corporal punishment is prohibited," a rule included in the manual sustains.