 The United Nations has reported that the US military in Iraq is detaining people faster than a new board can review their cases to determine whether their rights are being respected.
| What do they want us to do? Win the war more slowly so they can keep up with the paperwork? |
The US-led force continues to hold far more prisoners than the Iraqi government, and most are individuals picked up in mass arrests and detained for "imperative reasons of security," the world body said on Monday. "While progress in reviewing cases led to the release of hundreds, the overall number of detainees continued to increase due to mass arrests carried out during security and military operations," the UN mission said in its latest progress report on human rights, covering the period 1 September to 31 October. "There is an urgent need to provide remedy to lengthy internment for reasons of security without adequate judicial oversight," it said.
| I recall reading that one of the Amman boomers was picked up in one of those kinds of operations and released because they didn't have enough to hold him. No doubt the UN thinks there should be more like him. |
The number of detainees now held by the multinational force has climbed to 13,514, according to the latest Pentagon figures, up from about 6000 in June and 9600 in September. That is far more than the 7,577 in the custody of Iraq's Justice Ministry, the 3916 held by its Interior Ministry and the 342 juveniles in the hands of its Labour and Social Affairs Ministry as of 26 October, according to Iraqi figures.
| Thast's why the Learned Elders of Islam have been squealing like little piggies about our operations. If the Bad Guyz are flowing into the country too fast to catch, that's one thing, but if we're catching them faster than they can be dispatched from Syria, that's something else entirely. |
The United Nations has repeatedly expressed concern about the large number of detainees being held in Iraq without apparent due process, alleging that thousands were being held for extended periods without charges or even preliminary reviews to determine whether charges were ultimately likely. The US military insists Iraqi detainees are having their cases promptly reviewed, whether though referral to an Iraqi court or through the new prisoner review board. |