Death of Abdul Wahid

For other uses, see Abdul Wahid (disambiguation).

Abdul Wahid was a citizen of Afghanistan whose autopsy was held in the United States's Bagram Theater detention facility.[1][2][3][4] He was beaten to death on November 6, 2003.[3][5][6]

Army pathologist Colonel Kathleen Ingwersen concluded his death was a homicide.[3][4] She wrote on his death certificate that he died from "Multiple blunt force injuries complicated by probable rhabdomyolysis [extensive crush injuries of the muscles]." [7]

Abdul Wahid's cousin Abdul Haleem reported that he was also apprehended, and tortured, on November 3, 2003.[5][6] He and Abdul Wahid's father attributed the abuse to Afghan soldiers, but said American soldiers were aware of the abuse, and didn't intervene.

Abdul Wahid's father said his heavily scarred body was returned to his family two months after his capture, together with a letter from US authorities.[6] According to the Associated Press:

He said the letter – which a local doctor translated for him – expressed regret over the death but said Wahid had died before the United States had "got him". The U.S. military could not verify this information.

Human rights worker John Sifton, of Human Rights Watch, told the Associated Press that corrupt security officials in Afghanistan routinely captured men, and threatened to hand them over to the US in return for a bounty, unless they paid a bribe.[6]

On January 16, 2010, the Department of Defense was forced to publish the names of the 645 captives held in the Bagram Theater Internment Facility.[8] One of the individuals on the list was named "Abdul Wahid".

  1. ^ "9 U.S. prison deaths probed as homicides". USA Today. May 23, 2004. Archived from the original on 2011-05-23. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  2. ^ "Pentagon details prison deaths". CNN. May 22, 2004. Archived from the original on 2012-11-02. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ^ a b c Miles, Steven H. (July 5, 2005). "Medical Investigations of Homicides of Prisoners of War in Iraq and Afghanistan". MedGenMed. 7 (3). Medscape: 4. PMC 1681676. PMID 16369230.
  4. ^ a b "The Road to Abu Ghraib". Human Rights Watch. June 8, 2004. Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  5. ^ a b Stephen Graham (July 4, 2004). "U.S. military investigating new allegation of prisoner abuse in Afghanistan". San Diego Union Tribune. Archived from the original on 2005-01-09. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  6. ^ a b c d Noor Khan (July 5, 2004). "Abuse by Afghan militias reported". Seattle Times. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  7. ^ "Autopsy report" (PDF). American Civil Liberties Union. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-01. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  8. ^ United States Department of Defense (2009-09-22). "Bagram detainees" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-01-24 – via American Civil Liberties Union.