U.S. commanders encouraged abuse in Iraq- HRW: Knowledge Driven Revolution

Top U.S. military commanders encouraged abuse of Iraqi prisoners even after the Abu Ghraib prison scandal came to light in 2004, a Human Rights Watch report released Sunday said.

"Soldiers were told that the Geneva Conventions did not apply, and that interrogators could use abusive techniques to get detainees to talk," according to John Sifton, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.

Soldiers' accounts show that during the period between 2003 and 2005, the use of abusive interrogation methods against Iraqi detainees held in U.S. custody was authorized and routine, including physical mistreatment, sleep deprivation and exposure to extreme temperatures, said the report, based on interviews with military personnel and sworn statements in declassified documents.

Soldiers’ complaints concerning abuse were ignored.

Mr. Sifton, who compiled the HRW report, said that the soldiers’ accounts given to the group;

"Rebut U.S. government claims that torture and abuse in Iraq was unauthorised and exceptional - on the contrary, it was condoned and commonly used."

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The Supreme Court has ruled that the Geneva Conventions should apply even on Al Qaeda suspects held in U.S. custody.

The U.S. government stated previously that certain enemies, including those it labels “terrorists”, were illegal combatants and shouldn't be protected by those rules.

The Conventions prohibit "outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment."

In one of the cases mentioned in the report, a detainee was stripped naked, thrown in the mud, sprayed with water and then exposed to frigid temperatures.

A U.S. interrogator told HRW that the officer in charge of the unit of his fellow interrogators asked them to use abuse to extract information from the detainees. He said that dogs were used to intimidate the prisoners, who sometimes were asked to walk on their knees in the gravel and stand for long hours with arms outstretched holding water bottles.

The rights group urged the U.S. Congress to hire an independent commission to probe the report’s findings.

It also called on the American President George W. Bush to appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate allegations of abuse, BBC reported.

"It is now clear that leaders were responsible for abuses in Iraq," Mr Sifton said. "It's time for them to be held accountable".

Abu Ghraib abuse scandal broke out in April 2004 with the release of numerous pictures depicting the harsh treatment and physical abuse Iraqi detainees faced at the hands of the U.S. interrogators at the notorious Abu Ghraib jail near the Iraqi capital.

The political scandal damaged the credibility of the U.S. government which claims to be the world’s foremost protector of freedoms and human rights.

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HOME Articles by KDR V for Vendetta - R for Reality Canadian Bird Flu Pandemic Looming ? Shill of the Week: Stephan Harper Aspartame: The Sweetest Killer Chicken Little Terrorist of the Week: Creating Fake Terrorists Shill of the Week: Paul Martin The Number 1 Reason YOU became a Slave	U.S. commanders encouraged abuse in Iraq- HRW Aljazeera July 26, 2006 Top U.S. military commanders encouraged abuse of Iraqi prisoners even after the Abu Ghraib prison scandal came to light in 2004, a Human Rights Watch report released Sunday said. "Soldiers were told that the Geneva Conventions did not apply, and that interrogators could use abusive techniques to get detainees to talk," according to John Sifton, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch. Soldiers' accounts show that during the period between 2003 and 2005, the use of abusive interrogation methods against Iraqi detainees held in U.S. custody was authorized and routine, including physical mistreatment, sleep deprivation and exposure to extreme temperatures, said the report, based on interviews with military personnel and sworn statements in declassified documents. Soldiers’ complaints concerning abuse were ignored. Mr. Sifton, who compiled the HRW report, said that the soldiers’ accounts given to the group; "Rebut U.S. government claims that torture and abuse in Iraq was unauthorised and exceptional - on the contrary, it was condoned and commonly used." Read the full article here Article Continued... The Supreme Court has ruled that the Geneva Conventions should apply even on Al Qaeda suspects held in U.S. custody. The U.S. government stated previously that certain enemies, including those it labels “terrorists”, were illegal combatants and shouldn't be protected by those rules. The Conventions prohibit "outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment." In one of the cases mentioned in the report, a detainee was stripped naked, thrown in the mud, sprayed with water and then exposed to frigid temperatures. A U.S. interrogator told HRW that the officer in charge of the unit of his fellow interrogators asked them to use abuse to extract information from the detainees. He said that dogs were used to intimidate the prisoners, who sometimes were asked to walk on their knees in the gravel and stand for long hours with arms outstretched holding water bottles. The rights group urged the U.S. Congress to hire an independent commission to probe the report’s findings. It also called on the American President George W. Bush to appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate allegations of abuse, BBC reported. "It is now clear that leaders were responsible for abuses in Iraq," Mr Sifton said. "It's time for them to be held accountable". Abu Ghraib abuse scandal broke out in April 2004 with the release of numerous pictures depicting the harsh treatment and physical abuse Iraqi detainees faced at the hands of the U.S. interrogators at the notorious Abu Ghraib jail near the Iraqi capital. The political scandal damaged the credibility of the U.S. government which claims to be the world’s foremost protector of freedoms and human rights. Broken Link? If the link to the original article is broken or has been altered you can view the article by clicking the "Expand/Collapse" button below. About KDR \| \| Home \| \| Weekly Features Archive	Weekly Weekly Features Archive
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U.S. commanders encouraged abuse in Iraq- HRW

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