Donald Vance

Guide Note

American U.S. Navy veteran Donald Vance was held in detention at Camp Cropper, the U.S. detention site in Baghdad, for 97 days, which began in April of 2006.

Fast Facts

1. 29-years-old when he left for Iraq
2. Resided in Chicago, Illinois
3. Unpaid informant for the FBI
4. Claims he was tortured and his rights of habeas corpus were violated
5. Worked as a security contractor for Shield Group Security in Iraq
6. Unpaid informant for the FBI
7. Treated as a suspect when firm was raided
8. Claimed he was subject to interrogation, inhumane treatment and sleep deprivation techniques
9. Took notes on his imprisonment
10. Smuggled notes out in a Bible
11. Fellow American was also detained

Key Dates

1. April, 2006: Detained at Camp Cropper
2. April 24, 2006: Denied legal representation at his detainment hearing
3. December 16, 2006: Filed suit
4. April 4, 2007: Awarded the Ron Ridenhour Truth-Telling Prize
5. September 21, 2007: Testified before Senate Democratic Policy Committee
6. September 26, 2007: Senator Byron Dorgan requested investigation into Vance's detention

Vance filed a suit against the US government and former Secretary of Defense, Donald H. Rumsfeld, on December 16, 2006. He claimed that his rights of habeas corpus were violated. The suit alleges that Vance was:

1. Falsely arrested
2. Unlawfully detained
3. Unlawful search and seizure performed
4. Denied right to counsel in interrogations
5. Coerced into making statements
6. Denied Sixth Amendment right to counsel
7. Denied right to confront adverse witnesses
8. Denied right to present witnesses and evidence
9. Denied right to have exculpatory evidence disclosed
10. Unlawful detention conditions
11. Denied necessary medical care
12. Denied property without due process