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Home Front: WoT
Gulf War I POWs cite Abu Ghraib
2004-05-11
Former American prisoners tortured by Saddam Hussein’s regime in the first Gulf War are criticizing the Bush administration for fighting their compensation claims while planning to compensate the Iraqi victims of abuse at Abu Ghraib prison. In a letter to Donald Rumsfeld, retired Lt. Col. Jeffrey Fox, one of 17 American Gulf War POWs, yesterday expressed “frustration and disbelief” at the secretary of defense’s testimony on the torture of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers.

Rumsfeld told the Senate Armed Services Committee last week that he is “seeking a way to provide appropriate compensation to those detainees who suffered such grievous and brutal abuse and cruelty at the hands of a few members of the United States armed forces. It’s the right thing to do.” Rumsfeld also indicated the United States has the ability to compensate Iraqis and will do so “one way or another.”

Fox responded that “the right thing to do is to please end the Justice Department’s attack on us and to work with us toward a negotiated resolution that serves the dual goals of deterring the recurring torture of American service personnel and furthers the reconstruction of a Democratic Iraq.”

The Bush administration has appealed against a $1 billion compensation award that former American POWs won against the Iraqi government. The case was brought when Saddam Hussein was still in charge. Now, however, the Bush administration wants to avoid draining funds from the new Iraqi government. It says the money is needed to help rebuild the country.

To fail to help the American POWs “would be unfair and inappropriate and sends the wrong message to our military family as well as the next torturers,” Fox said.
Seems like this is something that could be settled in a day of quiet negotiation.
The American victims have garnered some congressional support for their cause, attracting the help of Sens. George Allen (R-Va.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), who have urged the administration to meet the former POWs.

Tony Onorato, a lawyer representing the POWs, said his clients did not want to jump on the Abu Ghraib bandwagon. But the POWs know that the Iraqi prison abuse scandal is an opportunity to raise the awareness of their own plight. They want to “send a message that torturing American POWs carries serious consequences.”

The group has always conducted itself with the “utmost diplomacy” and will continue to do so now and keep trying to raise the visibility of the issue on Capitol Hill and in the media.
Right, so give them a reasonable chunk of Sammie's money, not $1 billion, and settle this.
Posted by:Steve White

#1  It has been the policy of the United States government since the Second World War to oppose private claims against foreign governments related to war and the events surrounding a war. The justification appears to be that the United States is far more vulnerable to such suits and has deeper pockets than other nations. The government actively discourages such suits by Americans.

In Litigation America, the reality is that there is not enough money in the world for any nation to pay the judgements that would result from these suits. In the end, only the lawyers would profit, since the plaintifs only recover what's left after lawyers' expenses and fees.
Posted by: Chuck Simmins   2004-05-11 9:38:34 AM  

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