Lynndie England's First Prison Interview

In an exclusive with Marie Claire magazine, the poster girl for detainee abuse and torture in Abu Ghraib confirmed that her actions weren't isolated and were in fact, condoned by higher ups:

According to McKelvey's piece, England claims that:

Abuses like forcing naked prisoners into a human pyramid was encouraged: "We were told we were supposed to do those things. They said, 'Good job. Keep it up.'"

England told her lawyer, Gulf war vet Roy T. Hardy, that things "weren't right" at Abu Ghraib in December 2003. Hardy said she described "smoking" detainees — forcing them to exercise until collapse — keeping them awake, and "making them [walk] around wearing women's underwear on their heads."

Hardy also said England claimed 'OGA' officers were involved — "other government agency" or, typically, the CIA, whose orders military personnel did not question.

England says "she was told" that prisoners were hung in their cells with their arms tied behind their backs and that an American contractor sexually abused Iraqi boys held in the prison.

Note that the photos we've seen so far of detainee torture in Abu Ghraib weren't the worst of it.

To this very day, no high level officials have been held accountable for these crimes.



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