Joshua Claus

Joshua R. Clausis a former member of the United States Army, whose unit was present both at Abu Ghraib and at the Bagram Theater Detention Facility.cite news
url=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/29/international/asia/29afghan.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
title=Suicide Bomber on Motorbike Kills 8 Afghan Soldiers and a Civilian
publisher=New York Times
author=Carlotta Gall
date=September 28 2005
accessdate=2008-03-26
quote=] cite news
url=http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=373277
title=Was Omar Khadr coerced?
publisher=National Post
author=Steven Edwards
date=Friday, March 14, 2008
accessdate=2008-03-26
quote=Legal arguments before the U.S. war crimes commission in Guantanamo Bay indicated Sgt. Joshua Claus of military intelligence participated in many, maybe all, of the interrogations of the Canadian terror suspect after U.S. forces delivered him to the Bagram detention centre in Afghanistan in July 2002.]

Claus's role in the deaths in custody of Dilawar and Habibullah

Claus plead guilty to playing a role in the routine abuse of captives held in extrajudicial detention in the Bagram Theatre Detention Facility in 2002.cite news
url=http://www.pegc.us/amicus/abuse_cases/abu_ghraib_trials.txt
title=Abuse Cases
page=
pages=
publisher=PEGC
author=
date=
accessdate=2008-03-26
quote=charged with assault, prisoner maltreatment, and lying to investigators] cite news
url=http://www.pegc.us/amicus/abuse_cases/other_abuse_cases.txt
title=Other Abuse Cases
page=
pages=
publisher=PEGC
author=
date=
accessdate=2008-03-26
quote=The next morning, Dec. 9, 2002, Dilawar was subjected to his final interrogationat which he was unable to kneel when ordered or physically comply with anything.This caused the interrogation session to erode to more physical abuse. Aninterrogator identified as Spc. Joshua Claus took over from Walls, who remainedpresent. Dilawar's last interrogation eroded into more abuse and assault and hewas returned to his cell and re-shackled.

"Dilawar was found dead the next morning.] Claus was charged with assault, prisoner maltreatment, and lying to investigators.

Claus was named, along with 27 other GIs for the role they played in the routine abuse.At least two of the captives were killed in custody during the period Claus's unit, the 519th Military Intelligence Battalion was assigned to Bagram.

Military pathologists classified the deaths of two of the captives, Habibullah and Dilawar as homicides.

Fourteen of the 28 GIs were eventually to face charges.Military Prosecutors decided that the responsibilities for the men's death was spread too broadly for any one GI to face murder or manslaughter charges.

Claus plead guilty, and received a five month sentence. in 2005.

Claus's interrogation of Omar Khadr

On March 14 2008 it became known that Claus was one of Omar Khadr's first interrogators.

References