Smeagol-Gollum
21-05-2004, 08:51
The United States faced a fresh wave of devastating prisoner abuse allegations today, with claims that an Iraqi boy was raped in custody and other inmates threatened with death and made to retrieve food from toilets.
The Washington Post obtained statements to US investigators from former inmates at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison, detailing fresh claims of abuse.
The newspaper also published more shocking photographs, appearing to show soldiers beating inmates, threatening them with dogs and handcuffing them to bars.
Among the new allegations are that female soldiers fondled male prisoners and that there were repeated brutal beatings from guards at the jail, near Baghdad.
The newspaper quoted evidence taken from 13 former detainees at the prison in mid-January, when the scandal was under investigation but before it had become public.
They said they were beaten and humiliated in wing 1A during the holy month of Ramadan. Some of the mistreatment came as punishment for fighting or having banned items in cells.
Some said they were ordered to denounce Islam or were force-fed pork and alcohol, contrary to their religion.
Others said they were sexually humiliated and assaulted, threatened with rape, and forced to perform sex acts in front of female soldiers.
"They forced us to walk like dogs on our hands and knees," said Hiadar Sabar Abed Miktub al-Aboodi.
"We had to bark like a dog, and if we didn't do that they started hitting us hard on our face and chest with no mercy.
"After that, they took us to our cells, took the mattresses out and dropped water on the floor and they made us sleep on our stomachs on the floor with the bags on our head and they took pictures of everything." Another, Ameen Saeed Al-Sheik, told investigators: "They said we will make you wish to die and it will not happen.
"They stripped me naked. One of them told me he would rape me. He drew a picture of a woman to my back and makes me stand in shameful position holding my buttocks."
Seven soldiers have been charged with abusing soldiers so far. One, Specialist Jeremy Sivits, has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to a year in prison.
While the Bush administration has suggested that it was the work of a group of rogue soldiers, most of the defendants have claimed they were acting under orders to "soften up" detainees for interrogation.
At least one US Army witness has told investigators that the abuse was perpetrated by dozens more guards at Abu Ghraib.
Most of the detainees told US investigators that they were stripped and humiliated as soon as they arrived at the jail.
A US soldier beats a prisoner.
They said they were beaten and threatened with death and sexual assault if they did not cooperate with US interrogators.
Kasim Mehaddi Hilas said he was hooded and forced to wear rose-coloured women's underwear.
"Most of the days I was wearing nothing else," he said in his statement.
He also said he saw an Army translator having sex with a boy, aged between 15 and 18, at the prison.
He said sheets were hung around the cell to block any viewpoint, but he climbed to get a better look when he heard screams.
A female soldier was taking pictures of the assault, he claimed.
"The kid was hurting very bad," he added.
Mr Hilas said some soldiers did not wear name badges. Others were not in uniform.
At one point he was handcuffed to the bars of a cell without his feet touching the ground, he said.
He also told investigators how he saw a prisoner being sexually abused with a phosphoric light. "They tied him to the bed," Mr Hilas said.
Mustafa Jassim Mustafa, said he witnessed the same incident.
The detainee "was screaming for help", he said.
Another inmate said he too was pinned down and a phosphoric light was broken across him.
"I was glowing and they were laughing," he said.
He was later sexually assaulted with a baton, he said.
Mohanded Juma Juma claimed that he and his father were both stripped.
He said food was often thrown into toilets from where prisoners were ordered to retrieve it.
Another detainee told how they were forced to crawl on the floor while prison guards rode them like animals.
One of the first images of the scandal was that of a hooded detainee standing on a box attached to wires, fearing that he would be electrocuted if he fell.
Abdou Hussain Saad Faleh said it was he who was subjected to the incident.
A "tall black soldier came and put electrical wires on my fingers and toes and on my penis, and I had a bag over my head", he said.
He said he was taunted about his religion by soldiers. One said he would rape his wife.
He said the soldiers told him that if he co-operated with interrogators they would release him in time for Ramadan.
The new allegations, featured on the front page of the Washington Post, will come as a fresh blow to the Bush Administration.
The abuse scandal has already prompted worldwide shock, anger in the Arab world, and has undermined the coalition effort in Iraq.
PA
SOURCE
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/21/1085120113474.html
COMMENT
I have the sinking feeling that more and more will gradually be revealed.
After the miserable failure to find any weapons of mass destruction, or establish links between Saddam and Al Qaeda, the Coalition of the Wilting could always claim that they had saved the Iraqi people from a brutal and repressive regime.
Now that claim is foundering due to the abyssmal behaviour of the US forces. Why have these people not been trained properly? Why have they the right to ignore all standards of human decency, let alone internationally recognised protocols such as the Geneva Convention? And, most importantly, just who is responsible? Just where does the buck stop?
The Washington Post obtained statements to US investigators from former inmates at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison, detailing fresh claims of abuse.
The newspaper also published more shocking photographs, appearing to show soldiers beating inmates, threatening them with dogs and handcuffing them to bars.
Among the new allegations are that female soldiers fondled male prisoners and that there were repeated brutal beatings from guards at the jail, near Baghdad.
The newspaper quoted evidence taken from 13 former detainees at the prison in mid-January, when the scandal was under investigation but before it had become public.
They said they were beaten and humiliated in wing 1A during the holy month of Ramadan. Some of the mistreatment came as punishment for fighting or having banned items in cells.
Some said they were ordered to denounce Islam or were force-fed pork and alcohol, contrary to their religion.
Others said they were sexually humiliated and assaulted, threatened with rape, and forced to perform sex acts in front of female soldiers.
"They forced us to walk like dogs on our hands and knees," said Hiadar Sabar Abed Miktub al-Aboodi.
"We had to bark like a dog, and if we didn't do that they started hitting us hard on our face and chest with no mercy.
"After that, they took us to our cells, took the mattresses out and dropped water on the floor and they made us sleep on our stomachs on the floor with the bags on our head and they took pictures of everything." Another, Ameen Saeed Al-Sheik, told investigators: "They said we will make you wish to die and it will not happen.
"They stripped me naked. One of them told me he would rape me. He drew a picture of a woman to my back and makes me stand in shameful position holding my buttocks."
Seven soldiers have been charged with abusing soldiers so far. One, Specialist Jeremy Sivits, has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to a year in prison.
While the Bush administration has suggested that it was the work of a group of rogue soldiers, most of the defendants have claimed they were acting under orders to "soften up" detainees for interrogation.
At least one US Army witness has told investigators that the abuse was perpetrated by dozens more guards at Abu Ghraib.
Most of the detainees told US investigators that they were stripped and humiliated as soon as they arrived at the jail.
A US soldier beats a prisoner.
They said they were beaten and threatened with death and sexual assault if they did not cooperate with US interrogators.
Kasim Mehaddi Hilas said he was hooded and forced to wear rose-coloured women's underwear.
"Most of the days I was wearing nothing else," he said in his statement.
He also said he saw an Army translator having sex with a boy, aged between 15 and 18, at the prison.
He said sheets were hung around the cell to block any viewpoint, but he climbed to get a better look when he heard screams.
A female soldier was taking pictures of the assault, he claimed.
"The kid was hurting very bad," he added.
Mr Hilas said some soldiers did not wear name badges. Others were not in uniform.
At one point he was handcuffed to the bars of a cell without his feet touching the ground, he said.
He also told investigators how he saw a prisoner being sexually abused with a phosphoric light. "They tied him to the bed," Mr Hilas said.
Mustafa Jassim Mustafa, said he witnessed the same incident.
The detainee "was screaming for help", he said.
Another inmate said he too was pinned down and a phosphoric light was broken across him.
"I was glowing and they were laughing," he said.
He was later sexually assaulted with a baton, he said.
Mohanded Juma Juma claimed that he and his father were both stripped.
He said food was often thrown into toilets from where prisoners were ordered to retrieve it.
Another detainee told how they were forced to crawl on the floor while prison guards rode them like animals.
One of the first images of the scandal was that of a hooded detainee standing on a box attached to wires, fearing that he would be electrocuted if he fell.
Abdou Hussain Saad Faleh said it was he who was subjected to the incident.
A "tall black soldier came and put electrical wires on my fingers and toes and on my penis, and I had a bag over my head", he said.
He said he was taunted about his religion by soldiers. One said he would rape his wife.
He said the soldiers told him that if he co-operated with interrogators they would release him in time for Ramadan.
The new allegations, featured on the front page of the Washington Post, will come as a fresh blow to the Bush Administration.
The abuse scandal has already prompted worldwide shock, anger in the Arab world, and has undermined the coalition effort in Iraq.
PA
SOURCE
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/21/1085120113474.html
COMMENT
I have the sinking feeling that more and more will gradually be revealed.
After the miserable failure to find any weapons of mass destruction, or establish links between Saddam and Al Qaeda, the Coalition of the Wilting could always claim that they had saved the Iraqi people from a brutal and repressive regime.
Now that claim is foundering due to the abyssmal behaviour of the US forces. Why have these people not been trained properly? Why have they the right to ignore all standards of human decency, let alone internationally recognised protocols such as the Geneva Convention? And, most importantly, just who is responsible? Just where does the buck stop?