Абу-Грейб түрмесіндегі зұлматты әшкерелеген сержанттың куәлігі

Samuel Provance is a former U. S. Army military intelligence sergeant, known for disobeying an order from his commanders in the 302nd Military Intelligence Battalion by discussing with the media his experiences at the Abu Ghraib Prison, where he was assigned from September 2003 to February 2004. After being disciplined for his actions, he eventually brought his case to the United States Government in February 2006, resulting in a congressional subpoena of the Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. The main points of his testimony are that military intelligence soldiers and contracted civilian interrogators had abused detainees, that they directed the military police to abuse detainees, the extent of this knowledge at the prison, and the subsequent cover up of these practices when investigated. Military intelligence soldiers from the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade, with firsthand knowledge, had in fact spoken with the media weeks before Provance did, which corroborate his claims, saying they wanted to "do what's right get the truth out," but they chose to remain anonymous, "because of concern that their military careers would be ruined." In addition, the military police themselves said they were ordered and encouraged by interrogators to treat detainees harshly, to "soften" them up for interrogations, and were commended by their commander for doing so.

Provance was assigned to Abu Ghraib prison (also known as the Baghdad Correctional Facility) shortly after a mortar attack at the prison killed and wounded several soldiers from his unit on September 20, 2003. Though an intelligence analyst supporting the V Corps during the initial phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom, under the command of General William S. Wallace, at Abu Ghraib he supervised the systems administration on the so called "infamous" night shift, under the command of Lieutenant General Ricardo S. Sanchez. In January 2004, the same month that saw the unexplained death of his Command Sergeant Major Stacy Adams, Provance was interviewed by a US Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) agent, as part of Major General Antonio M. Taguba's investigation of Abu Ghraib. Taguba considered Provance a witness based on his sworn statement. His name, along with other witnesses, were made known in May 2004 when the classified Taguba Report was deliberately leaked to the public. Provance was also interviewed by Major General George Fay, the lead investigator of a second major investigation of Abu Ghraib. Provance later claimed Fay was more interested in the military police in the photographs, not of intelligence operations (Fay was charged with investigating military intelligence). He also claimed Fay resisted his testimony (largely the same provided to Taguba), who afterward decided to recommend charges of "dereliction of duty" against him for not coming forward any sooner, saying if he had, he could have prevented the scandal. Provance was then issued an order by his company commander, Captain Scott Hedberg, and subsequently his battalion commander, Lt. Colonel James Norwood, not to communicate with anyone about his experiences at Abu Ghraib. Perceiving the threat of charges and the gag order as part of a larger "cover up", Provance spoke with the media, hoping they would investigate where the military was apparently failing to. His top secret security clearance was suspended and he was administratively "flagged" (a career hold) for 16 months, until he was given an Article 15 (non judicial punishment). This began with the May 18, 2004 broadcast of ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, where he said, "there's definitely a cover up people are either telling themselves or being told to be quiet many people are probably hiding and wishing to God that this storm passes without them having to be investigated [or] personally looked at". According to the Stars and Stripes, Provance, "still speaks passionately about his dedication to the Army and condemns the few leaders above him". Provance told them, "I would never speak out against the Army, that's not what I'm doing the Army is an awesome organization that I respect and honor it's only a matter of time before the truth comes out". On May 26, 2004, former Vice President Al Gore referred to Provance during a speech at New York University, as the Abu Ghraib scandal evolved into a heated political debate, with the presidential election coming up that November. On June 15, 2004, Jerry Fleishman wrote a profile of Provance for the Los Angeles Times. "Provance speaks in a near whisper, but he possesses a steely defiant streak". It was reported that he studied to be a Christian Pastor at Holmes College of the Bible in Greenville, South Carolina, "quitting after raising too many questions about faith and fundamentalism". He then joined the US Army, enlisting in Air Defense Artillery, later tried out for Special Forces, and then reclassified into Military Intelligence. Despite his circumstances as a result of the Abu Ghraib investigations and scandal, "he reveres the spirit of the combat soldier", and worried that this was now in jeopardy. The Berlin, Germany newspaper Tageszeitung also wrote a profile. On July 5, 2004, the German news program "Report Mainz" broadcast an interview with Provance, where he revealed that children were detained at Abu Ghraib. In response, the Norwegian government joined the Red Cross and Amnesty International in protest. Jon Ronson published the book The Men Who Stare at Goats, later made into a motion picture in 2009. Provance, under the name "Joseph Curtis" to protect his identity at that time, is in a chapter named "The Haunted Hotel". Television's Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), as a part of its documentary program, Frontline (U. S. TV series), features Provance's perspective in the documentary "The Torture Question", in October 2005.

Sometime between September 3–17, 2004, Provance was sent to Washington D. C. to speak with members of the Senate Armed Services Committee and their staff, in preparation for a congressional hearing of Major General Fay's investigation. Unreliable source: date=December 2020 Initially his chain of command resisted the summons, but eventually were ordered by higher command to comply. It has not been made public what happened during these meetings. On February 14, 2006, Provance testified before Congress alongside Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Shaffer (intelligence officer) from the US Army, Michael German from the FBI, and Russell D. Tice from the NSA. He testified that at his Article 15 proceeding in July 2005, he was threatened with up to ten years in military prison if he did not accept the terms of punishment. He accepted the terms, and for "disobeying a lawful order", he was demoted in rank. He also testified about many other things before unknown or not as detailed. Congressman Chris Shays (R CT), the committee chairman, said to Provance, "I just want to say to you it takes a tremendous amount of courage with your rank to tell a General what they may not want to hear, and people like you will help move our country in the right direction. And so this full committee thanks you for what you have done." On May 15, 2006, Provance's interview with Report Mainz was selected among other news stories in its forty year broadcasting history for recognition. He gave an update on that television event, describing the psychological consequences of his experiences, and how exceptional it was that both the Republican and Democrat political parties both grew to support him
On July 6, 2006, the New York Times reported that the House Committee on Government Reform issued a subpoena to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld because he had not responded to a March 7, 2006 request for information regarding Provance's demotion and testimony. Four months later, Rumsfeld resigned, citing Abu Ghraib as his "darkest hour", and ignored the subpoena.