The International Red Cross says what American troops did to prisoners at Abu Ghraib, that is, torturing Iraqi prisoners, have been completely against international humanitarian laws.
Amnesty International (AI) wants an independent inquiry, which is just not going to happen. At best the US military will conduct its own inquiry, maybe put a private (probably a woman if one was involved) and then close the matter as if American justice and due process were done. AI said:
"The repulsive images released today give a clearer picture of the scope of the abuses perpetrated at Abu Ghraib and raise the question of what other abuses occurred there and elsewhere when cameras weren't presen. Prosecutions of primarily lower-level military personnel create the impression that those on the front lines are the scapegoats for policy set at the top."
Lynndie England would undoubtedly agree.
This sort of likely cover up has been the real reason why the US military have been deadset against the International Court of Justice. Their troops would have been standing in the dock beside Saddam Hussein.
On top of the recent British military abuse of Iraqis, these photos would have by now convinced even the most ardent pro-West Arabs that some segments of the US military are not unlike Nazi Gestapo or SS troops, a reality that American natives could have told them earlier.
The UN has finally moved from being disturbed by the disgusting torture of prisoners to demanding that the US must close Guantanamo without delay, and prisoners should be tried by an international tribune.
Not that the USA will comply. Nope, no bully ever listens to reason, logic or rule of law!
What about the other prisons like Guantanamo, or far worse than Guantanamo even.
ReplyDeleteYou know, the gulags in China, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Cuba etc etc that make Abu Ghraib seem like the Waldorf Astoria?
Wonder why nobody ever talks about them.
America's biggest mistake was not to torture terrorist suspects, but to allow information and pictures to leak out to the press. Almost every country does it anyway.
"America's biggest mistake was not to torture terrorist suspects ..."
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think this posting is about? Where have you been? And haven't you heard of Abu Ghraib, Bagram, extraordinary rendition, Guantanamo?
The USA not only torture but have killed terorist suspects. Note the word "suspects"?
Other nation's gulags?
They are all equally bad, and have been commented on before. But one thing where they are different from Guantanamo Bay or Abu Ghraib - those regimes tortured and killed their own people, which is why they are criticised less frequently than the Americans who invaded other countries, dragged citizens of other countries to Guantanamo [and Bagram and Abu Ghraib, etc] and tortured those foreigners, without any due process of law.
When you torture other nations' citizens, well, don't blame them for badmouthing you.
So, what's the difference between Bush and Saddam? Both killed hundreds of thousands, both tortured through their proxies.
You're wrong.
ReplyDelete"They are all equally bad, and have been commented on before."
Yeah right. Pull the other one, pal. Were you born yesterday? Have you seen the news coverage about Russian atrocities in Chechnya, or how about the Chinese brutal suppression of Tibet. What about the brutality of Indian troops in occupied Kashmir?
Oh wait, maybe thats cause there is NO news coverage. Oops.
"Guantanamo [and Bagram and Abu Ghraib, etc] and tortured those foreigners, without any due process of law."
Wrong. Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib are not one and the same. Guantanamo Bay is in Cuba and mainly holds prisoners captured in Afghanistan (hence mostly Al Qaeda members and as it follows, suspected terrorists). Those people deserve all the torture they get.
Abu Ghraib is a different story altogether. The torture there (or so the story goes) was perpetuated by certain individuals, rather than a blanket policy, and hence is the fault of the soldiers implicated rather than the US Army at large.
I'm not so sure I agree with that, but the fact remains that in EVERY war there are atrocities committed - heck even in the Malayan Emergency the British and the Malayan Army and Police committed countless questionable acts, including shooting people they suspected to be CTs on sight and virtually imprisoning whole villages. In fact Iraqis are probably better treated by US troops right now than Malaysian Chinese were during the Emergency. Imagine the furore that would be unleashed if the Yanks kicked everyone out of Basra, brought them to a concentration camp surrounded with barbed wire and shot anyone that dared to venture out at night.
"So, what's the difference between Bush and Saddam? Both killed hundreds of thousands, both tortured through their proxies."
A) Bush hasn't killed "hundreds of thousands".
B) You're digressing here. The issue is about Guantanamo Bay, not Bush or who killed who.
C) Torture is too good for some of those at Guantanamo.
"Have you seen the news coverage about Russian atrocities in Chechnya, or how about the Chinese brutal suppression of Tibet. What about the brutality of Indian troops in occupied Kashmir ..."
ReplyDeleteThank you - you've just proven my point! And if you don't understand why I say so, you need to read up on the ethnic makeup of those nations.
"Wrong. Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib are not one and the same. Guantanamo Bay is in Cuba ..."
OK, if you wnat to split petty hairs over geographical issue, I grant you Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib are on diferent continents; I even grant you that Guananamo Bay holds prisoners from Afghnaistan while Abu Ghraib holds Iraqis - but the issue is who runs those 2 torture chambers? Martians? And who are those prisoners? Americans? The only American caught in Aghanistan was whisked off to a US prison.
That's why with the disgrace of those revealing photos about US torture in Abu Ghraib, the UN wants Guantanamo closed! Same owner, same brutalities to be expected!
"A) Bush hasn't killed "hundreds of thousands".
B) You're digressing here. The issue is about Guantanamo Bay, not Bush or who killed who."
my respective responses:
(A) - ever heard of collateral damage - American military coined that sinister term - innocent Afghans, Iraqis were killed by US military. Ever heard of Falluja. I could go on, but do read up your history.
(B) The precise issue is Bush's USA. Under Bush you have Dick Cheney and Donald Runsfeld, and under them you have Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, Bagram (which is the worst of the 3), and the various offshore US torture chambers - ever heard of "extraordinary rendition" - well if you haven't, don't worry, the Europeans are right now investiagting into some of their newer members [former WArsaw Pact nations] who have been secretly participating in return for US aid, countries like Poland, Romania, and some Arab countries like Eygpt, Jordan, and then Uzbekistan, & even Thailand, etc. Even Colin Powell has admitted this.
The disgraceful thing about Bush and his Administration has been their use of dictators to do some of the USA's dirty work, and then rewarding and protecting those dictators.
"Abu Ghraib ... [...] ... was perpetuated by certain individuals, rather than a blanket policy, and hence is the fault of the soldiers implicated rather than the US Army at large."
You haven't been keeping up with US current affairs, have you. Shame on your reading, listening and viewing negligence. The culprit comes from the very top, Donald Rumsfeld himself and sharpshooter Cheney.
"C) Torture is too good for some of those at Guantanamo."
Thanks - if your attitude represents the typical American and their military, you have confirmed my point about an American military under Bush gone Gestapo.