Donald Vance

- 29-years-old when he left for Iraq
- From Chicago, Illinois
- Unpaid informant for the FBI
- Claims he was tortured and his rights of habeas corpus were violated
- Worked as a security contractor for Shield Group Security in Iraq
- Unpaid informant for the FBI
- Treated as a suspect when firm was raided
- Claimed he was subject to interrogation, inhumane treatment and sleep deprivation techniques
- Took notes on his imprisonment
- Smuggled notes out in a Bible

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.
December 10, 2008: Detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay have been subjected to the 24-hour blaring of American rock music, with the intent to create fear and disorient captives, says Gen. Ricardo Sanchez. Now musicians are banding together to put on a concert in protest of such methods of torture. Donald Vance was subjected to the intrusive music as a detainee and stated that many not use to American music became extremely affected by the constant racket.The Associated Press: Musicians protest use of songs by US jailers (December 9, 2008)
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
Suit Filed
Vance filed a suit against the US government and former Secretary of Defense, Donald 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