The Case Against Rumsfeld: The Victims

Note: Ali H. fears for his life and has asked that the media and others refrain from using his full name.

Iraqi high school student Ali H. was only 17 years old when he was detained by the U.S. military in August 2003. He was held in detention for four weeks at Abu Ghraib prison and other locations throughout Iraq. Ali still feels the effects of the debilitating physical and psychological injuries he sustained while in detention.

During his arrest and subsequent detention, Ali suffered excruciating pain and was subjected to degrading and inhuman treatment. Soldiers shot Ali in the neck and back and threw him to the ground before arresting him. Military personnel refused to provide medical care for Ali for hours after the arrest, even though he was bleeding profusely from two gunshot wounds. The bullets were eventually removed from Ali's neck and back in a brutal fashion and without anesthetic. He was then denied food, water and pain medication for almost two days after he was shot.

The pain inflicted on Ali continued well after the bullets were removed. While he was housed in an outdoor tent at Abu Ghraib, Ali received a life-threatening shrapnel wound during a mortar attack. Once again, military personnel refused to provide Ali with adequate medical care and pain medication. While recovering from abdominal surgery, military personnel intentionally inflicted further pain and torture on Ali. He was dragged roughly from one location to another and kept shackled hand and foot to a bed with a blanket placed over his face. He was then moved to another prison location where he was forced to sleep on the ground outdoors in extremely hot weather without any shelter, despite being in excruciating pain and having an intravenous tube in his arm. Military personnel refused to change the bandages on Ali's surgical wound, which became infected and leaked pus.

Military personnel continued to degrade Ali even at the time of his release. After telling Ali that he would be sent to another prison, they cut off his identification bracelet, confiscated his release papers and physically threw him from a bus to the ground outside while he still had an intravenous tube in his arm.

Now 19, Ali continues to suffer the lasting effects of his treatment. Among other things, Ali suffers from severe abdominal pain and debilitating fatigue, which often forces him to leave school early or not go at all. His physician has informed him that his condition may worsen over time and advised him not to lift objects weighing over two pounds. In addition to his physical pain, Ali has recurring nightmares of his time in detention and often screams and cries out in his sleep, waking his parents.


	Ali H. Note: Ali H. fears for his life and has asked that the media and others refrain from using his full name. Iraqi high school student Ali H. was only 17 years old when he was detained by the U.S. military in August 2003. He was held in detention for four weeks at Abu Ghraib prison and other locations throughout Iraq. Ali still feels the effects of the debilitating physical and psychological injuries he sustained while in detention. During his arrest and subsequent detention, Ali suffered excruciating pain and was subjected to degrading and inhuman treatment. Soldiers shot Ali in the neck and back and threw him to the ground before arresting him. Military personnel refused to provide medical care for Ali for hours after the arrest, even though he was bleeding profusely from two gunshot wounds. The bullets were eventually removed from Ali's neck and back in a brutal fashion and without anesthetic. He was then denied food, water and pain medication for almost two days after he was shot. The pain inflicted on Ali continued well after the bullets were removed. While he was housed in an outdoor tent at Abu Ghraib, Ali received a life-threatening shrapnel wound during a mortar attack. Once again, military personnel refused to provide Ali with adequate medical care and pain medication. While recovering from abdominal surgery, military personnel intentionally inflicted further pain and torture on Ali. He was dragged roughly from one location to another and kept shackled hand and foot to a bed with a blanket placed over his face. He was then moved to another prison location where he was forced to sleep on the ground outdoors in extremely hot weather without any shelter, despite being in excruciating pain and having an intravenous tube in his arm. Military personnel refused to change the bandages on Ali's surgical wound, which became infected and leaked pus. Military personnel continued to degrade Ali even at the time of his release. After telling Ali that he would be sent to another prison, they cut off his identification bracelet, confiscated his release papers and physically threw him from a bus to the ground outside while he still had an intravenous tube in his arm. Now 19, Ali continues to suffer the lasting effects of his treatment. Among other things, Ali suffers from severe abdominal pain and debilitating fatigue, which often forces him to leave school early or not go at all. His physician has informed him that his condition may worsen over time and advised him not to lift objects weighing over two pounds. In addition to his physical pain, Ali has recurring nightmares of his time in detention and often screams and cries out in his sleep, waking his parents.