Army Officer OKd Dogs in Interrogations

A top Army intelligence commander testified Wednesday that he gave his approval on at least one occasion for the use of military dogs during the interrogation of a detainee at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, a rare acknowledgment that soldiers may have received permission from superiors to employ harsh techniques.

Col. Thomas M. Pappas, who oversaw interrogations at Abu Ghraib, took the stand in the court-martial of Army Sgt. Michael J. Smith, a military dog handler who faces more than 20 years in prison if convicted of 13 criminal charges.

Pappas, who was reprimanded and fined for allowing the interrogation techniques without obtaining approval from the U.S. ground commander at the time, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, was granted immunity to testify at the trial of Smith, the first of two dog handlers facing charges.

“In hindsight, clearly we probably needed to establish some definitive rules and put out some clear guidance,” Pappas said.

The defense used Pappas’ testimony to distinguish Smith’s actions from the sexual intimidation documented in widely seen photographs from Abu Ghraib. Smith’s actions were an approved use of dogs in interrogations, the defense argued. The prosecution countered that by allowing the use of dogs, Pappas exercised authority that he did not have.

Human rights groups maintain that the use of dogs during interrogations violates the Geneva Convention prohibition against torture.

In a September 2003 policy, Sanchez had allowed the use of muzzled dogs -- with his specific approval -- to exploit what the policy called the “Arab fear of dogs.” But revised guidelines in October dropped any provision for the use of dogs.

Pappas said that the military requested dog handlers at the prison at the recommendation of Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller, an Army detention officer who oversaw the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Miller has invoked his right against self-incrimination in refusing to testify at the trial.

Interrogators at Abu Ghraib pressed for approval to use dogs after three prisoners said to have been captured with Saddam Hussein and a separate “high-value” detainee believed to be an Al Qaeda agent were brought to the prison in December 2003.

Pappas told the military tribunal that he had authorized the use of military dogs for one of the high-value interrogations and that guidelines required that the dogs be muzzled. Smith, 24, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Sgt. Santos A. Cardona, 31, of Fullerton, are accused of using their unmuzzled dogs to harass other detainees in late 2003 and early 2004 -- the same period when military police guards at the prison subjected inmates to sexual humiliation. Cardona’s trial is to begin May 22.

Military prosecutors rested their case after presenting 18 witnesses over three days, including a senior military dog handler who testified earlier Wednesday that he left an interrogation after he realized that his dog was being used to threaten detainees.

“Our dogs are not trained to do that,” said Navy Chief Petty Officer William Kimbro. “To me, it’s a wrong thing to do.”

Pvt. Ivan L. “Chip” Frederick II, a reservist convicted in the abuse scandal, testified Monday that Smith and Cardona had told him that Pappas had approved the use of muzzled dogs in the interrogations.