8
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 9:
Line 9: − According to Capt. Mark Doggett of the Australian army out of 7,800 prisoners being held in 2004 approximately 120 foreign [[jihad]]ists entered to attack Iraqi civilians and coalition allies.+ + + + + − :"We have people in custody who have been involved in killing Americans and others from the coalition forces. I really cannot think of a worse crime than that: murder." Doggett added, "The most common things people are being detained for include attacking coalition forces or the Iraqi people, likewise for financing attacks on forces or the Iraqi people," or being "involved in the planning of attacks." Likewise "the manufacture of improvised explosive devices. That could mean everything from procuring the necessary materials for explosive devices, through to actually manufacturing the devices, to planting them." <ref>*[http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/052404/opi_052454.shtml ''Abu Ghraib inmates aren't 'helpless' - they're lethal''], Deroy Murdock, The Daily Oakland Press, May 24, 2004.</ref>+ − ==Abu Ghraib Prison Abuse==+ − During the occupation by the U.S.-led coalition, accounts of abuse of prisoners by U. S. forces emerged and led to courts martial of several individuals, including [[Lynndie England]]. Several of the accused soldiers claimed they were acting under orders. In 2004 [[Arundhati Roy]] told a meeting of the American Sociological Association in Berkeley broadcast on [[Democracy Now]],+ + + + + + + + − :''Each of the Iraqi children killed by the United States was our child. Each prisoner tortured in Abu Ghraib was our comrade''.<ref>[http://nobsnews.blogspot.com/2004/08/arundhati-roy-transcript.html Transcript of Arundhati Roy] Speaking to American Sociological Association, from ''Democracy Now''</ref>+ − Capt. Doggett reported that only one journalists inquired about the nature of the actions that that led to internment for prisoners being held.+ + + + + + + + + +
no edit summary
==Abu Ghraib under Coalition Control==
==Abu Ghraib under Coalition Control==
===Regulations Regarding Torture and Prisoners of War===
Since 1864, nations of the world have progressively refined a series of international regulations protecting the rights of prisoners of war during periods of international conflict collectively referred to as the Geneva Conventions. The Conventions require the protection of the life and health of POWs, including access to international oversight organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross. Additionally, the United States as signatories to the 1984 United Nations Conventions Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment prohibits torture, defined as:
:“…any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession…when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or aquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity.”<ref> United Nations General Assembly. “Resolution 39 [Conventions Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment]”. 10 December, 1984, 1</ref>
In January 2002, a series of reports and memos circulated throughout the Executive Branch of the United States Government exploring the legality and limitations of the Geneva Conventions. In one report, Jay S. Bybee, the Assistant Attorney General, argued that the President was not bound by the Geneva Conventions, concluding that, “…customary international law has no binding legal effect on either the President or the military because it is not federal law, as recognized by the Constitution.”<ref>Jay S. Bybee, “Memorandum for Alberto R. Gonzales, Counsel to the President, and William J. Haynes II, General Counsel of the Department of Defense Re: Application of Treaties and Laws to al Qaeda and Taliban Detainees,” January 22, 2002, 37.</ref>
Seizing upon Bybee’s recommendations, then White House Counsel, now Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales issued memos contending that suspected al Qaeda operatives are not party to the Geneva Conventions, but recommending that the United States uphold a minimal standard of treatment for these detainees commensurate with the Geneva regulations. In a January 25, 2002 memo to President Bush, Gonzales wrote, “In my judgment, this new paradigm [the war against terrorism] renders obsolete Geneva's strict limitations on questioning of enemy prisoners and renders quaint some of its provisions…"<ref>“Memorandum for the President from Alberto Gonzales, January 25, 2002” in The Torture Papers, Karen Greenberg and Joshua Dratel, eds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005, 119. Also see, “Gonzales Memos Stir Debate,” January 4, 2005, http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,143261,00.html</ref> Critics contend that this disavowal of the Geneva Conventions facilitated a culture of torture and abuse exterior to international rules of war, generating an environment in which abuses, such as those perpetrated at Abu Ghraib might take place.<ref>Liza Porteus, “Tough Questions in Gonzales Hearing,” January 6, 2005, www.Foxnews.com.</ref>
As Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld personally approved of specific interrogation techniques in a November 27, 2002 memo drafted by William J. Haynes, Counsel for the Department of Defense. The approved techniques included,
:*”Use of mild, non-injurious physical contact such as grabbing, poking in the chest with the finger, and light pushing.”<ref>Department of Defense Internal Memo: Counter-Resistance Techniques,” November 27, 2002, http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB127/</ref>
:*yelling
:*use of stress positions including standing for four hours
:*isolation for up to 30 days
:*use of falsified documents
:*deprivation of light including hooding
:*removal of clothing and forced grooming
:*using individual phobias (including fear of dogs) to induce stress
==Abu Ghraib Abuse Photographs==
===Aftermath of the Abu Ghraib Photographs===
Responding to the public release of the Abu Ghraib abuse photographs, then Secretary of Defense, Donald H. Rumsfeld, explained,
:“I feel terrible about what happened to these Iraqi detainees. They are human beings. They were in U.S. custody. Our country had an obligation to treat them right. We didn’t do that. That was wrong. To those Iraqis who were mistreated by members of U.S. armed forces, I offer my deepest apology. It was un-American. And it was inconsistent with the values of our nation.”<ref> Testimony as Prepared by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, The Senate and House Armed Services Committees, Friday, May 07, 2004. http://www.defenselink.mil/speeches/speech.aspx?speechid=118</ref>
To date, no senior officials have been held legally culpable for the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison. Army Reserve Brigadier General, Janis Karpinski, who assumed leadership of the prison on June 30, 2003, eventually received a reprimand and was demoted to Colonel on vague charges of dereliction of duty.<ref>http://www.washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20040526-120928-8194r</ref>
Nine members of the armed forces received courts martial for crimes depicted in the photographs. Of the more prominent perpetrators, Army Specialist Charles Graner received a 10-year prison sentence for his participation in abuse and sexual humiliation of prisoners. At his trial he repeatedly insisted that he was simply following commands issued by his superior officers. Private First Class, Lynndie England, the smiling solider flashing the camera a thumbs-up received three years in prison in addition to a dishonorable discharge. Sabrina Harmon, another notable figure seen smiling adjacent to a deceased prisoner received a sentence of six months.
On May 24, 2004 George W. Bush summarized the historical role of Abu Ghraib prison, proclaiming, “Under the dictator, prisons like Abu Ghraib were symbols of death and torture. That same prison became a symbol of disgraceful conduct by a few American troops who dishonored our country and disregarded our values...”<ref> Presidential Remarks at United States War College, May 24, 2004.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/05/20040524-1 0.html</ref>