Black jail
| Company type | Military detention facility |
|---|---|
| Industry | Detention / Military |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Fate | Shut down following U.S. forces' departure |
| Headquarters | Bagram Air Base , Afghanistan |
| Products | Detention services |
The Black Jail was a U.S. military detention camp set up in 2002 within the confines of Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. It was shut down following the departure of U.S. forces. Distinct from the primary incarceration center at Bagram, this facility was operated by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency alongside Special Operations Forces. The site was subject to multiple accusations of mistreatment, such as physical assaults, deprivation of sleep, and enforced stress postures. U.S. officials repeatedly denied the jail’s existence.
The detention center consisted of solitary, windowless concrete cells, each illuminated continuously by a single light bulb. Journalist Anand Gopal initially exposed its presence, a fact later substantiated by several investigations.
While U.S. President Barack Obama mandated the closure of black sites managed by the Central Intelligence Agency in January 2009, this order did not extend to the Black Jail. Nevertheless, during his administration, detainee confinement at this location and a comparable facility at Balad Air Base in Iraq was restricted to a maximum duration of two weeks. Throughout its operation, human rights organizations raised alarms about limited access granted to the Red Cross and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission.
Beginning in 2009, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported receiving detainee rosters. On May 11, 2010, BBC News confirmed that the Red Cross had authenticated the facility’s existence and conducted interviews with former detainees.
See also
External links
- DIA and the Black Jail at Bagram
- Fresh claims US is running secret prison in Afghanistan BBC News, October 15, 2010