On this day in 2002, US military personnel tortured to death an innocent 22 year-old taxi driver named Dilawar at Bagram military prison in Afghanistan. The US attempted to cover up the murder and torture at the faculty, but failed after his death certificate was leaked. 
Dilawar was a small, frail man, who never attended school and rarely left his village. His family and friends described him as totally unprepared to handle tough interrogation and incarceration. ''He had never spent a night away from his father and mother,'' his brother said.
On the eve of a Muslim holiday, Mr. Dilawar set out from his tiny village of Yakubi with a used Toyota that his family bought for him. He picked up a fare and planned to pick up his 3 sisters for the upcoming holiday, but was stopped by a local commander guarding the US base.
They found no weapons, only a broken walkie-talkie but arrested Dilawar and his riders anyway.
Dilawar and his 3 passengers were then subjected to systematic torture, which included threats of rape, constant beatings, standing naked, hooded with hands shackled to the ceiling in frigid temperatures for long periods and being deprived of sleep for days.
Prisoners who survived Bagram, said they were forced to stand with their arms chained to the ceiling for nearly two weeks. They were freed only to eat, pray, and use the toilet. They were kept naked in the frigid temperatures nearly the entire time.
Prisoners legs would become so swollen, they'd swell up and they’d lose their feeling. Prisoners would then be punished for being unable to stand after being totally exhausted or seriously injured.
Dilawar’s passengers (who were totally innocent) were sent to Guantanamo Bay where they were held for over a year before being released without charge.
Dilawar was frightened, in pain, and constantly said he couldn't breathe with the hood over his head. US army personnel found it hilarious when he screamed in pain from his beatings, so they beat him continuously.
An autopsy revealed that Dilawar’s legs had been beaten so badly that they were "pulpified," and that even if Dilawar had survived, it would have been necessary to amputate his legs. His injuries were similar to those of someone who had been runner by a bus.
The US military and the Bush administration attempted to cover up the murder of Dilawar and another Afghan named Habibullah, who was murdered at Bagram, but Dilawar's death certificate (showing his death was a homicide) was leaked to the NY Times.
After Dilawar’s passengers were eventually released from Guantanamo, Dilawar’s parents contacted them to ask about how Dilawar died. They didn’t have the heart to tell them what happened. They lied, saying the Americans treated him well.
Read the full write up of the 2,000 page, leaked US military report detailing the torture and murder of Dilawar at Bagram. nytimes.com/2005/05/20/wor…
