When did they know?

From the beginning. All the current haggling about the date people in charge knew what was happening in Iraqi prisons is a sideshow smokescreen to avoid telling the truth that this kind of thing is unwritten policy.

The US overseer for Iraq Paul Bremer was first told that Iraqi prisoners were being abused at the notorious US-run jail at Abu Ghraib in January.

"Ambassador Bremer was made aware of the charges relating to the humiliation in January 2004, right when it was made public," coalition spokesman Dan Senor said.

  source

Iraq's former human rights minister Abdul Basset Turki said abuses of Iraqi prisoners had been going on at all U.S. bases since the occupation began, with some taking place as recently as last week.

In an interview with French weekly Le Journal de Dimanche released ahead of publication Sunday, Turki said he had warned U.S. administrator Paul Bremer of the abuse in November.

  source

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Friday that it first raised concerns with the United States more than a year ago.

  source


Yes, that is how America does things (and George Doubleface Bush knows it).

So say I, and so says General Miller (the man formerly in charge of abuse at Guantanamo, sent to replace Karpinski in charge of abuse at Abu Ghraib), now questioned about his recommendations last summer to "soften up" prisoners.

He said the ideas put forward were in "keeping with how America does its operations."

  SF Gate article