Main Page

encyclopedia.codeboy.net
 

Human rights situation in post-Saddam Iraq

Many parties have expressed concern about the state of human rights in Iraq after the 2003 occupation of Iraq. Concerns have been expressed about conduct by both the U.S.-led occupying coalition forces and their Iraqi opponents.

Table of contents
1 Alleged human rights abuses by coalition forces
2 Alleged human rights abuses by Iraqi guerrillas
3 See also
4 External links

Alleged human rights abuses by coalition forces

\nAccording to the Washington Post, the coalition forces regularly use "torture-like" methods during the interrogation of suspects. Such methods were reportedly applied to people to find the hiding place of Saddam Hussein in Operation Red Dawn. British troops have also tortured Iraqi prisoners of war. Such treatment violates article 17 of the Third Geneva Convention and the USA and Britain's official policies on combat and occupation. Despite numerous complaints by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, it took a year before the first US soldier was court-martialed for their actions concerning abuse of Iraqis. International observers have contrasted this with the Iraqi treatment of Jessica Lynch.

Unknown date

\nEight marine reservists were investigated for abuse and the death of a prisoner, outside Nasiriyah. [1] A photograph leaked after the initial set shows Spc. Sabrina Harman smiling and giving a thumbs up next to the body of Manadel al-Jamadi. Jamadi was reportedly beaten to death during interrogations in the prison's showers. [1]\nDeath certificates repeatedly stated that prisoners had died "while sleeping", and of "natural reasons". Iraqi doctors are not allowed to investigate even when death certificates are obviously forged. No reports of investigations against US military doctors who forged death certificates have been reported. On May 20, NBC reported about another facility in Iraq reportedly with even worse conditions than Abu Ghraib, run by the elite Delta Force. Details are just beginning to emerge about this battlefield interrogation facility (BIF) - whose existence is just being revealed. [1]

April 2003

\nAther Karen al-Mowafakia died in Basra, while in British custody. Details about the investigation are not known. [1]

Before May 2003

\nGary Bartlam, a British soldier of the Desert Rats, was arrested after submitting film to a photo developers shop in Tamworth, England while on leave. The photographs depict a gagged Iraqi POW suspended hanging by rope from a fork lift, and other pictures seem to show prisoners being forced to perform sexual acts. Seven other soldiers are being investigated about the incident. [1] British Lieutenant Colonel Tim Collins was alleged by US Army Major Re Biastre to have been responsible for mistreatment of Iraqi civilians and prisoners of war. Lieutenant Colonel Collins was later cleared of these charges by a tribunal.

May 8 2003

\nIn separate incidents, the Royal Military Police declared that Radhi Natna died of a heart attack while in British custody, yet his family reports that he had no heart trouble; and the Black Watch regiment arrested the 17-year-old Ahmad Jabber Kareem Ali in Basra, who then drowned after being ordered to swim across a river despite not being able to swim, according to his friend Ayad Salim Hanoon. [1]

May 12 2003

\nReservists from the USA Army abused prisoners at Camp Bucca, and were later court-martialed. Brigadier General Ennis Whitehead III reported that Master Sergeant Lisa Marie Girman, a state trooper, "repeatedly kick[ed a prisoner] in the groin, abdomen and head, and encouraging her subordinate soldiers to do the same," Lieutenant colonel Vic Harris reported that, Staff Sergeant Scott A. McKenzie who worked at a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections boot-camp-style prison, and Specialist Timothy F. Canjar: held prisoners' legs, encouraged others to then kick them in the groin, stepped on their previously injured arms, and made false sworn statements to the USA Army Criminal Investigation Division. They received "general, under honorable conditions" discharges, were ordered to forfeit 2 months' salary, and returned to the USA. Sergeant Shawna Edmondson, also involved in the case, received an "other-than-honorable" discharge, after she requested it instead of being court-martialed. [1] Hossam Shaltout said the abuse at Camp Bucca was similar to that at Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse, and that his torture included scorpions placed on his body [1].

May 17 2003

\nAbd Al Jubba Mousa died after witnesses said they saw British troops beat him with rifle butts. [1]

May 24 2003

\nSaid Shabram died in custody, but no information of the investigation were made public. [1]

July 23 2003

\nUS forces kidnapped the family of an unidentified lieutenant general to induce him to turn himself in.[1]

July to December 2003

\nThe abuses at Abu Ghraib prison were reportedly committed by MPs [1]. There are allegations that private contractors contributed to them as well and that intelligence agencies such as the CIA ordered them to do so in order to break prisoners for interrogations. It is said to be a usual practice in other US prisons as well, such as in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. [1] The International Committee of the Red Cross submitted a detailed report to the U.S. Army in October 2003 about abuses in prisons, and the president of the Red Cross stated he had informed high-ranking members of the Bush administration about the abuses during a meeting in the White House in January 2004. A soldier came forward that month with photos of abuse that he found disturbing, some showed the stacking of prisoners into a human pyramid, with one prisoner's skin visibly bearing a slur written in English. Another showed a prisoner being forced to stand on a box with wires attached to his head and hands, who had reportedly been told that if he fell off the box, he would be electrocuted. Photos released to the public later included a person being attacked by a guard dog, which the soldier involved described as being useful for intimidation of prisoners. [1] It was also reported that an Iraqi hired as a translator raped a juvenile male prisoner while a female soldier took pictures. [1] No charges have been brought against the contractor because he does not fall under the military's jurisdiction; it is questionable whether any charges will or even can be brought against him. Donald Rumsfeld had said that army and government had only been informed in January and not in detail.\n[1] On January 16, 2004, a press release was issued by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM [1]) stating that an investigation had been initiated in response to allegations of detainee abuse at an unspecified detention facility (now known to be Abu Ghraib prison). [1] In March 2004, 6 soldiers in Abu Ghraib were charged with dereliction of duty, cruelty and maltreatment, and sexual abuse. 17 others were suspended from duty, including the seven U.S. officers who ran the prison. Also recommended for discipline was Brig. Gen Janis Karpinski, the commander of the 800th brigade. The Red Cross, which had access to these prisons, has stated that the instances of torture were not aberrations but were systemic. Some officers have attempted to defend themselves by saying that they were only doing their duty. In response to ongoing complaints, the US military initiated a program to reform the internment and treatment systems. The reforms are expected to increase safeguards for prisoners' rights, to ensure each prisoner receives a copy of their internment order, and has their charges explained to them within 72 hours. They additionally plan to publicly post information about detainees so that family members can know what happened to their loved ones. Reforms were made in March 2004 Theft of prisoner's posessions by soldiers, dirty, cramped quarters and bad food, prisoners forced into uncomfortable positions for prolonged periods of time, extreme exposure to the elements, and excessive jailings of people based on the paid testimony of individual informants were reported. 55-year old cafe owner Mahmoud Khodair, who was arrested and held for six months before being released in early march without ever knowing what he was charged with, stated, "It was just like hell", and "Nothing has changed since Saddam. Before, the Mukhabarat [secret police] would take us away, and at least they wouldn't blow down the door. Now, some informant fingers you and gets $100 even if you're innocent." [1] During April 2004 the media started to report on the abuse. The journalist Seymour Hersh (who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for hisisclosure of the Vietnam War tragedy at the hamlet of My Lai) published a series of articles in The New Yorker with photo coverage of U.S. soldiers abusing prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison on 2004-04-30. [1] In an interview with Dan Rather, the deputy director of operations for the US-led coaltion, Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, stated "We're appalled. These are our fellow soldiers. These are the people we work with every day. They represent us. They wear the same uniform as us, and they let their fellow soldiers down. If we can't hold ourselves up as an example of how to treat people with dignity and respect, we can't ask that other nations do that to our soldiers." On 2004-05-01, photos of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq being abused and humiliated by United States soldiers provoke an international outrage.[1] Furthering the charges, excerpts from the Abu Ghraib Taguba report were published on May 3, 2004. The report documented: the sodomizing of a prisoner with a chemical light, pouring phosphoric liquid on detainees, rape of a female prisoner, forced masturbation, "ghost detainees" moved around to avoid the Red Cross, and many other abuses.[1] [1]. The release of the photographs and reports had led to renewed calls for investigations into the abuses reported in other US military prisons, such as Camp X-Ray and Camp Delta [1]. On 2004-05-14, reporters for the Guardian documented a coercive technique which soldiers called "bitch in a box". The prisoner was shoved into the trunk of a car on a hot day, and driven around until the prisoner was near ready to pass out. Another technique documented was "waterboarding", which involves holding a prisoner underwater until the prisoner believed he was about to drown. They also interviewed many soldiers not involved in the current scandal, who claimed that they were taught to use sleep deprivation, to stage mock executions, and to use other procedures. One platoon leader who objected to these practices was reportedly told that his stand could end his military career. [1] USA Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told an armed services committee of the Senate on 2004-05-07 that "There are a lot more photographs and videos that exist [...] I looked at them last night and they're hard to believe [...] The pictures I've seen depict conduct, behaviour that is so brutal and so cruel and so inhumane that anyone engaged in it or involved in it would have to be brought to justice." He also said that the abused detainees may be offered compensation. [1] In a scene described as "surreal" by AFP, it was found in mid May, 2004 that US troops were handing out cash to freed prisoners along with a note stating "You have not been mistreated.". A reporter visiting the prison Camp War Horse described the tour:
"Have you been mistreated?" the governor asks the detainees, dressed in orange boilersuits.
"No. We have never been tortured," chorused those behind bars as some 50 soldiers stood nearby. [1]

August 2003

\nEleven Iraqis were severely beaten by members of the SAS in Majar al Kabir. They were released and paid compensation for their injuries. [1]

August 4 2003

\nHassan Abbad Said died in custody, but no information of the investigation were made public. [1]

September 2003

\nSoldiers from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment were accused of beating to death Baha Mousa, hotel worker. [1]

November 7 2003

\nAn al-Jazeera cameraman, Salah Hassan, reported various abuses in the infamous Abu Ghraib prison complex, such as being forced to strip naked, standing up for 11 hours and being kicked when he collapsed, being forced to wear a vomit-covered jumpsuit, and many other abuses. He later also witnessed a 12- or 13-year-old girl who was stripped naked and beaten. Her brother was held in another cell and heard her screams [1].

2004-01-03

\nOne Iraqi detainee drowned after he was forced to jump from a bridge into the Tigris River, and another detainee was assaulted. First Lt. Jack M. Saville and Sgt. 1st Class Tracy E. Perkins were charged on 2004-06-07 with manslaughter, assault, conspiracy, false statements, and obstruction of justice. Sgt. Reggie Martinez was charged three weeks later with manslaughter and for making false statements, and Spec. Terry Bowman with assault and making false statements. [1]

April 2004

\nEyewitness reports from residents fleeing the city, peace activists, and an aid worker from Doctors Without Borders [1] alleged that the tactics used by U.S. Marines in the siege of Fallujah were a violation of the laws of war and human rights. They alleged that Marine snipers targeted civilians and medical personnel ([1], [1], [1], [1], [1], [1]). Many newspaper reports indicated that a significant proportion of the casualties in Fallujah were women and children [1], [1], [1], [1], [1]. In a newspaper interview [1], a US sniper described Fallujah as "target-rich", and stated "as a sniper your goal is to completely demoralize the enemy". There were also reports that US and Spanish troops forced Fallujah hospitals to be evacuated when they were needed most urgently [1]. The U.S. military mostly denied the allegations, or refused to comment on them. Three Iraqis working for Reuters were arrested, and allegedly beaten, taunted about their religion, and sexually abused. Reuters decided only to make it public after the US military refused to charge any soldiers in the incident. Two reported being forced to stick a finger into their anus and then lick it. Additionally, they were forced to put shoes in their mouth (a particularly humiliating gesture to arabs). They were forced to make demeaning gestures as soldiers photographed them, were kept in stressful positions for long periods of time, and were threatened with being sent to Guantanamo. One was threatened with rape. "When I saw the Abu Ghraib photographs, I wept", said Salem Ureibi, one of the three interned reporters. "I saw that they had suffered like we had." [1] Reuters' Baghdad bureau chief, in an article in Editor and Publisher, stated "It should be noted that the bulk of their mistreatment occurred several hours AFTER I had informed the 82nd Airborne Division that they were Reuters staff. I have e-mail proof of this."

Daily Mirror allegations

\nAlleged photographs of prisoner abuses by UK troops were published by the Daily Mirror (May 1 front page) within 48 hours of the breaking of the story of abuses by US troops in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. General Sir Mike Jackson, Chief of the General Staff, said "if proven, the perpetrators are not fit to wear the Queen's uniform and they have besmirched the Army's good name and conduct". The authenticity of the photographs was called into question a day later. In particular, a number of specifics in the images, such as the type of rifles the soldiers in the pictures are carrying and the type of truck pictured did not match the equipment used by UK troops in Iraq. The Mirror responded to these criticisms of the photographs on May 3, 2004. [1] On May 14, 2004, the Daily Mirror reported that the pictures it had published, allegedly showing UK troops abusing an Iraqi prisoner, were fake and that "the Daily Mirror has been the subject of a calculated and malicious hoax." (front page apology) [1] The Daily Mirror editor, Piers Morgan, was sacked due to the controversy.

Amnesty International report

\nAmnesty International reported that British soldiers had killed innocent civilians who were no threat, had kicked a prisoner to death and that the British military did not investigate the abuses appropriately. [1]

June 2004

\nThe Pentagon confirms a report in the New York Times that CIA chief George Tenet - who steps down from the post next month - was allowed by U.S Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to have an Iraqi prisoner secretly detained at Camp Cropper in November, preventing the International Committee of the Red Cross from monitoring their treatment, a probable violation of the Geneva Conventions. [1] [1]

July 2004

\nThe International Red Cross reports that more than 100 children were kept in six different prisons of the coalition. Witnesses say US forces also abused children and youths. Soldier Samuel Provance from Abu Ghureib reported the harrassment of a 15 to 16 year old girl in her cell as well as a 16 year old boy who was driven through the cold after he had been showered and who was then besmeared with mud. An unpublished Unicef report is said to include statements about children that were arrested in Basra and Kerbela and routinely detained in Umm Kasr. The children are said to be without contact to their families and cannot expect a trial.

Investigations

Several sets of investigations, both congressional via the Senate Armed Services Committee, military via courts-martial, and criminal for non-military contractors, were launched in response to the scandal. Seymour Hersh, who exposed the Abu Ghraib scandal, and reports in Newsweek, has taken the case even further. [1] [1]. In 2003, Donald Rumsfeld instituted a policy that "encouraged physical coercion and sexual humiliation of Iraqi prisoners in an effort to generate more intelligence about the growing insurgency in Iraq.". This policy stemmed from an earlier policy taken toward al-Qaeda prisoners. A memo to the Bush White House from councel Alberto Gonzalez claimed that the new sort of war renders the Geneva Conventions' limitations on interrogating enemy prisoners "obsolete" and "quaint". The program was approved by the CIA, NSA, and the national security council. President George W. Bush was informed of it. The undersecretary of Defense for intelligence Steven Cambone administered the operation. His deputy, William Boykin, instructed the head of operations at Camp X-ray Maj. Gen Geoffrey Miller to do the same at Abu Ghraib. Miller told Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski that the prison would now be dedicated to gathering intelligence. Douglas Feith and William Haynes were also involved in the operation. On May 18, 2004, a military intelligence analyst named Samuel Provance came out to the press, stating "There's definitely a cover-up". Provance, who ran a computer network used by military intelligence in the prison and who had been ordered not to speak to the press, told ABC News "Anything [the MPs] were to do legally or otherwise, they were to take those commands from the interrogators," and that the sexual humiliation began as a technique ordered by the investigators. He described several of the goings-on in the prison that he witnessed, such as the punching people in the neck hard enough to knock them unconscious after assuring them they weren't going to be hit, in order to catch them off guard. He also stated that Maj. Gen. George Fay, the Army's deputy chief of staff for intelligence, has shown little interest in investigating the interrogators and has gone only after the MPs, and that there is a culture of silence right now among those involved, who fear that if they say anything, the investigations will turn to them. [1]. On May 19, 2004, a court martial hearing was held for Cpl. Charles A. Graner Jr, who has been accused of being the ringleader of the group employing torture at Abu Ghraib. In an unexpected move, all three key witnesses - Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan, Capt. Donald J. Reese, and contractor Adel L. Nakhla - refused to testify. This is an almost unheard of action. Under court martial proceedings, one cannot refuse to testify unless they have a belief that they will be exposed to criminal charges for doing so. Consequently, it is likely that the investigative proceedings will be forced to move higher up the chain of command. [1]

Alleged human rights abuses by Iraqi guerrillas

Hostage taking of civilians ("protected persons" in the Hague and Geneva Conventions) of various nationalities, including the murder and mutilation of the bodies of some, has been a regular practice of some Iraqi resistance groups. Two hostages, Nick Berg and Kim Sun-il were apparently beheaded by their captors (see below). Criminal gangs and militia also kidnap wealthier Iraqis for ransom on a regular basis in order to secure funding. More than 100 doctors have been kidnapped and ransomed. Religious militias have been known to murder liquor store owners and their customers, or to publicly whip them and parade them through streets.

Nick Berg

On May 11, 2004, a video appeared on the Internet generally believed to show an Islamic militant group beheading captured American civilian Nicholas Berg. Some contend this shows the kind of monster the US is fighting in the war on terror; others contend it's a suspiciously convenient distraction from the mounting abuse scandal, flawed in its details, and with a tangled back story. (See the Nick Berg page.) The killing and mutilation have been widely denounced by Muslim leaders in Iraq and elsewhere as contrary to Islamic law and harmful to the Iraqi cause.

Kim Sun-il

The group Jama'at al-Tawhid and Jihad, led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, accused by the United States of America of links to al Qaida, threatened to kill a South Korean hostage, Kim Sun-il, unless South Korea agreed not to send more troops to Iraq. The group initially set a June 21, 2004 deadline in a videotape which showed Kim Sun-il pleading for his life. On June 22, after initial reports that the militants had given their hostage more time, Al-Jazeera television reported that they had received a videotape showing that Kim Sun-il had been executed.

See also

\n* Human rights situation in pre-Saddam Iraq\n* Human rights situation in Saddam's Iraq\n* 2003 invasion of Iraq\n* U.S.-led occupation of Iraq\n* Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse

External links

\n*Pictures of the abuse by US soldiers, courtesy of The Memory Hole. Note that the full set of pictures has not been released, including the rape of a young Iraqi by a military contractor.

"I never miss a chance to have sex or appear on television." - Gore Vidal