Throughout their incarceration (lasting 16 months to four and a half years), all 14 were in solitary confinement. "They had no knowledge of where they were (and had) no contact with persons other than their interrogators or guards." They had no legal or family contacts or access to news from outside, except for some later on. They were effectively disappeared.
Other Ill-Treatment Methods
It was especially harsh during the first few days or months and included:
-- waterboarding "suffocation by water poured over a cloth placed over the nose and mouth, alleged by three of the fourteen;"
-- prolonged stressed standing, naked, with arms extended and chained above their heads, alleged by 10 of the 14, continuously for two or three days, and intermittently up to three months;
-- beatings by use of a collar around their necks used to forcefully bang their heads and bodies against the wall, alleged by six of the 14;
-- beating, kicking, slapping, punching to the body and face, alleged by nine of the 14;
-- confinement in a severely restricting box, alleged by one detainee;
-- prolonged nudity from several weeks to several months, alleged by 11 of the 14;
-- sleep deprivation lasting days, alleged by 11 of the 14;
-- forced stress positions, standing or sitting, cold water, and use of repetitive loud noise or music, alleged by 11 or the 14;
-- exposure to cold temperature, in cells and interrogation rooms, alleged by most of the 14; three had cold water poured over their bodies;
-- prolonged shackling of hands and/or feet, alleged by most detainees;
-- threats of ill-treatment to them and their families, alleged by nine of the 14;
-- forced head and beards shaving, alleged by two of the 14;
-- deprivation and restrictions of solid food from 3 days to a month after arrest, alleged by eight of the 14; and
