Pentagon Appears To Impede Independent Autopsy Of Gitmo ’Suicide’

Pentagon appears to impede independent autopsy of Gitmo ’suicide’
By Diana Sweet | Raw Story

The family of a former Gitmo detainee are still waiting years later for answers regarding the events leading up to their son's death. Hope that a second autopsy would provide those answers has been at a standstill as the doctor who performed the autopsy waits for U.S. officials to respond to a request for the return of the deceased's missing throat, a request the Pentagon now appears to be denying was ever made.

Ahmed Ali Al-Salami was one of three inmates at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba's Naval base whose death in 2006 was ruled a suicide by the U.S. military. The suicides, referred to at the time as "an act of asymmetrical warfare" by Rear Adm. Harry Harris, commander of Joint Task Force-Guantanamo have been called into new focus in January of this year.

A report published in Harper's Magazine, and written by constitutional scholar and Contributing Editor of Harper's Scott Horton, includes details provided to Harper's by four members of a U.S. military intelligence unit assigned to Guantanamo Bay. "All four soldiers say they were ordered by their commanding officer not to speak out, and all four soldiers provide evidence that authorities initiated a cover-up within hours of the prisoners’ deaths," reported Horton. It also seems that rather than supplying the deceased's missing throat and other necessary items, the Pentagon is attempting to cast aspersions on Horton's report, 'The Guantanamo "Suicides": A Camp Delta sergeant blows the whistle.' Read more.