A.C.L.U. Presents Accusations of Serious Abuse of Iraqi Civilians

[Guest guest]

" Zepp " <zepp

 

Mon, 24 Jan 2005 19:15:46 -0800

[Zepps_News] #Detainees: A.C.L.U. Presents Accusations of

Serious Abuse of Iraqi Civilians

 

 

 

<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/25/international/middleeast/25abuse.html?hp & ex=1\

106629200 & en=1e3e248c07d24961 & ei=5094 & partner=homepage>

 

A.C.L.U. Presents Accusations of Serious Abuse of Iraqi Civilians

By NEIL A. LEWIS

 

Published: January 25, 2005

 

ASHINGTON, Jan. 24 - The American Civil Liberties Union released

documents on Monday describing complaints of serious abuse of Iraqi

civilians, including reports of electric shocks and forced sodomy, and

accused the military of not thoroughly investigating the cases.

 

The documents list dozens of allegations of abuse at American detention

centers - the use of cigarettes to burn prisoners, aggressive dogs,

electric shocks, sexual humiliation and beatings - that began at about

the same time such acts were occurring at Abu Ghraib prison.

 

But it is not always clear whether every case described is a new

incident; many details, including the names of victims and of the

accused, were blacked out before the documents were provided to the

A.C.L.U. as part of its litigation.

 

Jameel Jaffer, a lawyer for the organization, said gaps in the files

made it difficult to draw any definite conclusions about a particular

case. " But overall there does seem to be a clear pattern here, and that

is that it is difficult to say the government was aggressive in

investigating these allegations of abuse, " he said.

 

Lt. Col. Pamela Hart, an Army spokeswoman, declined to discuss any

particular case mentioned in the documents. But she said, " The Army has

aggressively investigated all credible allegations of detainee abuse and

we've held soldiers accountable for their actions. "

 

The documents list several sites where abuses are reported to have taken

place, many of them at the detention center at Adhamiya Palace, one of

Saddam Hussein's villas in Baghdad. The documents contain allegations

from detainees about being abused and statements from American

contractors who said they saw the effects of beatings.

 

In one case, a detainee said that while at Adhamiya Palace, his nose was

pinched while water was poured down his throat, a wooden stick was

inserted forcefully into his anus and electric shock was applied to his

genitals. Some of the allegations were directed against Iraqi policemen.

One contractor who said he was assigned to screen detainees brought to

Abu Ghraib said that many who had come from Adhamiya arrived with

serious injuries, including one boy with a bleeding rectum. He said the

boy had told him that an Iraqi policeman had sodomized him with a soda

bottle and that American soldiers were present.

 

Most of the previously undisclosed allegations concern the early months

of last year, while some are said to have occurred as recently as July.

The more than 4,000 pages of documents were released by the Army in

response to a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and

other groups that have accused American forces of serious abuse, even

torture, in treating detainees.

 

The new documents show that some allegations of assault were

investigated and soldiers were disciplined. Mr. Jaffer, of the A.C.L.U.,

said that in the more than 50 cases mentioned, military investigators

had ruled in all but a few that there was insufficient evidence to

proceed.

 

The new accusations generally concern the behavior of American Special

Forces, as opposed to prison guards or interrogators, who have been

accused at Abu Ghraib.

 

The files released on Monday concerned only cases that had been resolved

by military investigators; there may be other cases still under

investigation.

 

Colonel Hart said that more than 300 criminal investigators had looked

into accusations of mistreatment of detainees and that more than 100

military members had been disciplined. " The Army's record of

investigating detainee abuse continues to be thorough and fair, " she said.

--

Election 2004

The Triumph of the Swill

" The National Government will regard it as its first and foremost

duty to revive in the nation the spirit of unity and cooperation.

It will preserve and defend those basic principles on which our

nation has been built. It regards Christianity as the foundation

of our national morality, and the family as the basis of national

life. "

Adolph Hitler, My New World Order,

Proclamation to the German Nation

at Berlin, February 1, 1933

 

 

Not dead, in jail, or a slave? Thank a liberal!

Pay your taxes so the rich don't have to.

 

http://www.zeppscommentaries.com

For news feed, http:////zepps_news

For essays (please contribute!) http://zepps_essays