The Australian Daily Telegraph reports:
Mock executions – in which a prisoner is made to believe his death is imminent – are expressly prohibited by the US army’s interrogation policy.
The details were described in documents sought by the American Civil Liberties Union under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
On July 13, 2003, Captain Shawn L. Martin, of the 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regiment took an Iraqi welder out to the desert and made him dig his own grave before pretending to shoot him, according to documents.
Capt Martin wanted information on a bombing. The welder was released.
Capt Martin also captured eight people in a vehicle and fired his gun to make the seven passengers believe he had killed the driver. He then went to the home of a man, whose identity was provided by the driver, and threatened to kill him in front of his family.
Capt Martin was court-martialled, convicted of aggravated assault and battery, and sentenced to 45 days confinement and loss of $US12,000 ($A15,900) in pay.
The other mock execution involved a second lieutenant with the 3rd Brigade of 1st Armoured Division who received administrative punishment as well as an other-than-honourable discharge from the service.
There was no Koran-flushing, though. No US soldier would go that far.