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Iraq
Reports of widespread mistreatment and torture of detainees in Iraqi custody
2008-12-02
The U.N. mission in Iraq expressed "serious concern" Tuesday about overcrowded prisons and the treatment of detainees in Iraqi custody in its latest report on the human rights situation in the country.
Don't worry, we'll be blamed, we always are ...
The report, which covered the first half of the year, also singled out the problem of so-called honor killings of women in northern and southern Iraq.

Staffan de Mistura, the U.N.'s special representative in Iraq, warned that the issue of detainees will be a major challenge as the United States prepares to turn over control of thousands of inmates in its custody. "There is no secret that the (Iraqi) prisons are overcrowded and frankly not in very good condition," de Mistura said at a news conference to release the 13th report on the situation of human rights in Iraq.
How were they when you inspected them during Saddam's time ...
He cited one example of a prison in which 123 detainees were crammed into a 540-square-foot cell.

Reports of widespread mistreatment and torture of detainees also continue and need more thorough investigation, he said. "So far we have not seen one case of prosecution," he said.

The U.N. called on the Iraqi government to speed up legal reforms and strengthen the judicial system, saying improvements in the rule of law are necessary to ensure security gains are sustainable. It also promised to help and said training programs were being held to improve the administration of detention centers as well as the justice system.
Just what the Iraqis need, the UN training their people in European-style justice ...
"More sovereignty means more responsibility and more responsibility means less impunity," de Mistura said.

The report only covered the six-month period that ended in June due to staffing issues, so the numbers of detainees included was outdated. The U.S. has released thousands since then under an amnesty program.

De Mistura, who heads the U.N. Assistance Mission to Iraq known as UNAMI, estimated Tuesday that there were a total of 40,000 detainees, including some 15,000 being held by the U.S. military. "UNAMI remains gravely concerned at continuing reports of the widespread and routine torture or ill-treatment of detainees, particularly those being held in pretrial detention facilities, including police stations," the report said.

It also renewed concern about the U.S. detention of suspects for prolonged periods without judicial review of their cases. Women also faced more violence, including the killing of women for perceived offenses to their families' honor. The problem is of particular concern in the semiautonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq and in the mainly Shiite southern area of Basra.

A U.S.-Iraqi crackdown against Shiite extremists in Basra has failed to stop the killings, according to the U.N.
It wasn't designed to stop honor killings, only extremism ...
De Mistura said 80 to 82 women had reportedly been killed there so far this year, but there has been only one prosecution. The government has made a more concerted effort to stop the killings in Basra, but the grim statistics show "that the problem needs to be addressed more forcefully," he said.
UN administrators shouldn't use the word 'forcefully', it just doesn't work for them ...
The U.N. human rights report, which previously was issued quarterly but is now biannual, used to be closely watched for Iraqi civilian casualty figures. That practice stopped when the Iraqi government refused to release the spiraling figures to the U.N. De Mistura said the situation had improved and he was hopeful casualty figures could be included in the next report.
Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC

#6  exactamundo, Verlaine. The biggest mistake our internal and external traitors opponents have made is to apply criminal law protection to those who have neither earned nor deserve that distinction. Lawfare will be the undoing of us or the death of the opposition when the backlash hits. I expect the latter as they overreach and a "releasee" goes on a killing spree here at home
Posted by: Frank G   2008-12-02 20:15  

#5  UN agency feeling safe enough to be present thanks to US military power and sacrifice: check

UN agency singling out troubling conditions in a former dictatorship that only has a chance at a more civilized/open society thanks to US military power and sacrifice: check

Logically, I don't believe there's such a thing as "moral authority" - the whole point of morality is that it's above and outside individuals or organizations made up of individuals. Moral principles stand alone and can be applied logically to facts to yield judgments, and nobody has superior ability to identify the principles (though demonstrated ability to apply logical reasoning obviously varies substantially).

(end of geeky rumination on moral authority)

But .....

If there's anything like "moral authority" to judge and criticize Iraqi prison conditions and judicial processes, it is possessed solely by the US.

Note also the disingenuous slander that never dies: suspects are "held without trial" indefinitely (outrageous!) - because in fact they are NOT part of a normal judicial process, but detainees in a war emergency situation where normal civil judicial processes are neither feasible nor effective.
Posted by: Verlaine   2008-12-02 20:00  

#4  http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/2008/02/the-dungeon-of.php
Posted by: Plastic Snoopy   2008-12-02 15:58  

#3  Well, at least it's not us doing it. It's just Middle Easterners following their cultural norms.
Posted by: Frozen Al   2008-12-02 12:41  

#2  Yeah, but you can't hardly dig a hole big enough to plant a tree without running into an old friend you haven't seen in a few years.
Posted by: bigjim-ky   2008-12-02 11:14  

#1  Saddam managed to avoid overcrowding the prisons.
Posted by: Glenmore   2008-12-02 10:37  

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