Projections

I have read the newspaper this morning and the news is disturbing as usual. Why do I read the news? Because I have a need to be informed, even when it’s bad news. I can’t imagine living without the news. And the news this morning is of the continuing Iraqi prisoner abuse. Some people are trying desperately to make excuses for the soldiers, but today the Army released a statement, confirming that 90% of the prisoners had been detained by “mistake”. Mistake and 90% should never be used in the same sentence.

A report by the Red Cross (ICRC) on the treatment of Iraqi prisoners by coalition forces has been published on the website of the Wall Street Journal.

The report refers to "serious violations of international humanitarian law" by coalition forces.
It catalogues ill-treatment by coalition soldiers - including some which resulted in deaths of inmates.

The confidential report had been given to US and UK officials in February.

The Red Cross inspected jails in Iraq between May and November 2003 and made 29 visits to prison facilities in central and southern Iraq during that time.

The report also criticizes the way in which arrests were made and says detentions tended to follow a pattern.

"Arresting authorities entered houses usually after dark, breaking down doors, waking up residents roughly, yelling orders, forcing family members into one room under military guard while searching the rest of the house and further breaking doors, cabinets and other property," it says.

"Sometimes they arrested all adult males present in a house, including elderly, handicapped or sick people," it continues.

"Treatment often included pushing people around, insulting, taking aim with rifles, punching and kicking and striking with rifles."

The report also says some troops told the Red Cross that 70% to 90% of those detained had been arrested by mistake.

What I find irritating is the fact that apologists who tell us how evil these detainees might have been...ignore the fact that they were "suspects" only, not convicted of any crime. And even if they had been "convicted", that would not give anyone the right to abuse them. Is this how we demonstrate the benefits of democracy?