US prosecutors have denied that American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh was tortured by the US military after his capture in Afghanistan, saying he got medical treatment for his wounds, better sleeping conditions than his doctor, healthy meals and a haircut.
Mr Lindh, captured in late November claimed he had been mistreated.
But prosecutor Randy Bellows defended the conditions of confinement for Mr Lindh, who was brought to the United States in January to stand trial on charges of conspiring to kill Americans abroad.
"The US military forces insured his safety, medicated him appropriately, kept his wounds from becoming further infected, operated on him, tended to his hygiene, fed him healthy and nourishing meals, gave him plenty of water and made it possible for him to conduct his religious observations," Mr Bellows said.
Mr Lindh, who converted to Islam as a teenager in California, was given a Koran and allowed to pray, Mr Bellows said. Mr Lindh requested a haircut, and got a second one when he did not like the first one, he added.
Bellows said a military policeman at Camp Rhino in Afghanistan would testify that none of the guards threatened Lindh with death or torture, as his defence lawyers claimed.
"While the Navy physician who was treating him had to sleep on a concrete floor in a sleeping bag in a room with a hole in the wall and a hole in the ceiling, Lindh slept on a stretcher in a container that protected him from the elements," Mr Bellows said in papers filed in federal court in Virginia.
At Camp Rhino, Lindh's meals included beef with mushrooms, Mexican rice, chicken with rice, chicken tetrazzini, fudge brownie, mixed fruit and vanilla pound cake, Mr Bellows said.
When Mr Lindh was flown to Camp Rhino on December 7th, he claimed his handcuffs were so tight it cut off his circulation. But Mr Bellows said military policemen checked the handcuffs and determined they were not too tight.
Lindh, 21, has pleaded not guilty to a 10-count indictment that includes charges of conspiring to kill US civilians and military personnel abroad. His trial is scheduled to begin on August 26th.