Geoffrey D. Miller
From dKosopedia
Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller is a Major General in the U.S. Army who was the commander of the military prison (JTF-GTMO) at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and a major figure in the Abu Ghraib torture scandal.
According to the Taguba report, from 31 August to 9 September 2003, Miller led a team of personnel experienced in strategic interrogation who reviewed the ability to exploit Iraqi prisoners for actionable intelligence. During this trip, he went to Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and according to Col. Janice Karpinski he told the officers there "Look, the first thing you have to do is treat these prisoners like dogs."
On January 11, 2006, the Washington Post reported that he invoked Article 31 of the Code of Military Justice and claimed his right not to incriminate himself in court-martial proceedings against two soldiers accused of using dogs to intimidate captives at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. In the same story, the Post reports that the commanding officer at Abu Ghraib, Col. Thomas M. Pappas, sought immunity from prosecution, and agreed to testify against others, possibly including Miller. The dog-handlers were Sgt. Santos A. Cardona and Sgt. Michael Smith. Smith was convicted in April, 2006, and at his trial, Col. Pappas testified that he had authorized the use of dogs after it was suggested by Miller.
It is very unusual for an officer of Miller's rank to remain silent during a court-martial. According to John Hutson (Navy Judge Advocate-General from 1997-2000), "For a general officer to invoke Article 31 ... is unparalleled". According to an article in the Washington Post, Miller has been ordered to testify at Sgt. Corona's trial.
On February 23, 2006, the ACLU released several memos written by FBI agents at Guantanamo; the agents claimed that Miller knew of and approved the use of abusive interrogation techniques, or what honest people are willing to call torture.
Miller retired from the military on July 31, 2006. Not only is it unlikely that he will ever be court-martialed, but he also received the Distinguished Service Medal.
Background
Miller was born in Menard, Texas in 1949 and attended Ohio State University, where he was awarded an undergraduate degree in History, following up with a Master of Science in Education Administration at the University of Southern California.
References
- Inside GITMO, Part II: Can the ‘20th hijacker’ of Sept. 11 stand trial?
- "Guantanamo Officer Maintains Silence on Abu Ghraib" by Demetri Sevastopulo, Financial Times newspaper, March 8, 2006.
- "Slowly Creeping Up The Abu Ghraib Ladder" by Ethan Heitner at TomPaine.com
- "Top Officer Ordered to Testify" by Josh White, Washington Post, April 19, 2006.
- Abu Ghraib / Guantanamo General Retires - With Honors!? - DailyKos diary