Amnesty International: Iraq prison abuses continue.

[buttmunch]

Amnesty International has said that thousands of detainees held by the multinational forces in Iraq are still being denied their basic rights.
The group said the lessons of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal appeared to have been ignored and reports of torture continued to "pour out of Iraq".

It said it based its findings on interviews with former inmates.

US and British officials insist that prisoners are treated in accordance with international standards.

The report says the multinational forces and Iraqi authorities must take urgent steps to stop human rights abuses if there is to be any hope of halting Iraq's slide towards increasing violence and sectarianism.

Amnesty says in its 48-page report that thousands of Iraqis are being held without charge or trial.

More than 200 detainees have been imprisoned for more than two years and nearly 4,000 for over a year, it reports.

"To hold this huge number of people without basic legal safeguards is a gross dereliction of responsibility on the part of both the US and UK forces," said its UK director, Kate Allen.

'Chilling signs'

The report mentions the case of one detainee, Kamal Muhammad, a 43-year-old father of 11 held without charge by US forces for over two years.

Not only prisoners being held in defiance of international law but the allegations of torture continue to pour out of Iraq

Kate Allen
Amnesty International

"His brother reports that he has received insufficient food and has lost some 20 kilos in weight in prison," Amnesty says.

Other prisoners were released "without explanation or apology or reparation after months in detention".

There has also been increasing evidence of torture of detainees by the Iraqi security forces, despite various scandals and promises of investigation and proper treatment.

Former detainees told Amnesty they had been beaten with plastic cables, given electric shocks and made to stand in a flooded room as an electrical current was passed through the water.

Ms Allen compared the current situation to the earlier scandal which broke when photos were released showing US guards abusing detainees at the Baghdad prison.

"There are chilling signs that the lessons of Abu Ghraib have not been learnt," she said.

"Not only prisoners being held in defiance of international law but the allegations of torture continue to pour out of Iraq."

Detentions defended

According to the US military, each detainee is given a form explaining the reasons for their imprisonment and their files are reviewed every 90 to 120 days.

The British Ministry of Defence said allegations of wrongdoing were always taken seriously and international observers were invited into its detention centres.

It said that the Red Cross was informed of each detention within 24 hours and the detainee's family was also notified.

Britain had "no interest in interning individuals in Iraq other than to protect Iraqi security personnel and civilians, and British servicemen and women, from attack", an MoD spokeswoman told The Associated Press.

bbc.co.uk

You know, I really wish the bushies would wake up and realize that very few believe thier lies. And I wish others, namely foxnews and its fans, would stop excusing this shit. When the day comes that American soldiers or civilians are subjected to this sort of thing, they will be the first people to cry foul.

[deckchick]

I have said before, and I will say it again, Bush, Cheney & Rumsfield should be tried for war crimes. They just think they are above all laws... bastards

[Grimmlok]

Concentration camps. Nice.

[AliceInWonderland]

Here's the graphic used for a similiar story on my local newschanel's website; its quite telling actually...


I laughed when I saw it.

source: kcal.com

[Mr. Authority]

Originally Posted by deckchick

I have said before, and I will say it again, Bush, Cheney & Rumsfield should be tried for war crimes. They just think they are above all laws... bastards

The only way that those 3 will be tried is if the Dems/Independents win the 06 elections. Right now it looks like the Republicans are losing their grip in the House and Senate so there's a good chance for some reform in the government.
With a mainly Republican House and Senate, there have'nt been many actions taken against Bush and co, that's why there has'nt been an impeachment yet because the republicans would just vote it down.

[Grimmlok]

I wouldnt hold your breath. The Dems are just as bought and paid for as the Repukes. They also have no problems throwing the GBLT community under the bus in order to get a few christian asshole votes.

Fuck them all.