TORTURE AT ABU GHRAIB by Seymour M. Hersh (part 2)

So Americans torture Iraqis. Didn't Nazis torture Jews, or Japanese torture Chinese?

And yes I am implying Americans are no better than nazis or Japanese war criminals.

Bush launches damage-control effort in prisoner abuse scanda
Bush launches damage-control effort in prisoner abuse scandal
By BETH GORHAM

WASHINGTON (CP) - President George W. Bush launched an unprecedented damage-control effort Wednesday aimed at assuring outraged Arabs that U.S. soldiers who humiliated, abused or killed prisoners of war will be punished.

As senior legislators on Capitol Hill demanded answers and resignations in a widening scandal involving at least 14 prisoner deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, Bush gave interviews to two Arabic-language television stations.

But he stopped short of apologizing for the sadistic conduct of U.S. soldiers at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison, documented in graphic pictures released last week of naked, hooded Iraqis and their smiling American captors.

"The actions of these few people do not reflect the hearts of the American people," Bush told Al-Hurra, a U.S.-sponsored station, calling the photos "abhorrent."

Bush dismissed Arab comparisons of U.S. behavior to the barbaric regime of captive Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

"His trained torturers were never brought to justice," said the president.


"We have nothing to hide. We believe in transparency...There will be investigations. People will be brought to justice."

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said later: "The president is sorry for what occurred and the pain it has caused."

Asked why Bush had not apologized, McClellan said: "I'm saying it now for him."

Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, said Tuesday: "We are deeply sorry for what has happened," while the commander of U.S.-run prisons in Iraq, Maj.-Gen. Geoffrey Miller, apologized Wednesday for "illegal or unauthorized acts" of American soldiers.

Army officials disclosed Wednesday the deaths of two Iraqi prisoners have already been ruled homicides. One soldier was court-martialled and discharged, while a CIA interrogator's case is before the U.S. Justice Department.

Ten abuse cases are also being investigated. So far, six military police could face courts-martial and seven others have been reprimanded.

But investigations that began in January after a U.S. soldier first complained of abuse at Abu Ghraib may still yield more cases, stretching back two years to the war against terrorism in Afghanistan.

"There will be more investigations," said Gen. Peter Pace, vice-chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.

"Where that will lead, I don't know."

A Canadian civilian, Hossam Shaltout, is suing the U.S. army for $350,000, claiming he was falsely imprisoned, tortured and injured by military interrogators in Iraq.

Many legislators, furious they didn't know about the extent of the abuse until CBS aired the photos last week, are demanding U.S. officials release everything they know, so Congress can conduct a sweeping probe.

"It's time the Defence Department turned over all documents relative to this," said Republican Senator John McCain.

Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is scheduled to testify in public Friday at the Senate armed services committee.

Said Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller: "Somebody's got to come forward, take responsibility for this and resign.

Rockefeller called for a congressional motion to express "profound shock and outrage" over "one of the worst things that ever happened in American history."

"We need to say that we feel awful about it."

Ken Dautrich, a public policy professor at the University of Connecticut, said the scandal could have major implications for Bush's re-election effort.

"This is the first presidential election since 1968 when foreign policy and war can make a difference in the outcome," said Dautrich.

"We're over in Iraq because of human rights. This is a human rights issue and it's been pretty much ignored."

An internal Pentagon report was completed two months ago detailing the prison abuse but was not passed up the chain to Rumsfeld. Bush said he didn't know about the report and hadn't seen the pictures.

Republican Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House of Representatives' armed services committee, said Americans have to put the message out that only six "bad apples" of some 135,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq have been directly implicated in crimes.

"America is a force for good," said Hunter.

While some have demanded Rumsfeld's resignation, Bush said Wednesday he still has confidence in him and has demanded he provide full details of prison operations in Iraq.

"We want to make sure that if there is a systemic problem...that we stop the practices," Bush told Al-Arabyia television based in the United Arab Emirates.

"It's a matter that reflects badly on my country. Our citizens in America are appalled by what they saw, just like people in the Middle East are appalled.

Reminded the United Sttes releases a report on worldwide human rights abuses each year and demands they be rectified, Bush told Al-Hurra: "We will do to ourselves what we expect from others."

The Pentagon report on Abu Ghraib blamed inadequate training and too few troops, leading to a breakdown in command.

The prison's former supervisor and at least one lawyer for a U.S. soldier have pointed fingers at zealous military intelligence officers who encouraged abusive tactics to extract information.

Critics also blame the atmosphere created by a new class of prisoners in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. They are not technically prisoners of war and aren't covered by international laws like the Geneva Conventions.

A partial list of those investigated in the abuse of prisoners by U.S. troops at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq:

CRIMINALLY CHARGED:

Sgt. Javal Davis of Maryland

Javal Davis, 26, of the 372nd Military Police Company, is criminally charged with abusing Iraqi prisoners. His father said the allegations are untrue.

"My son is a good kid, a good man. He's been raised in a very good manner. He's a very good provider, a good father, a very spiritual man," Jonathan Davis said.

An army report obtained by the New Yorker magazine quotes testimony from a witness who said he saw Davis hit prisoners in a pile. According to the same report, he told army investigators he was "made to do various things that I would question morally."

He also told investigators that military intelligence personnel appeared to approve of the abuse. "We were told they had different rules," he told investigators, according to the report.

Javal Davis is married, with a four-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter, and his wife is in the navy, the father said. The family lives in Maryland.

Staff Sgt. Ivan (Chip) Frederick of Buckingham, Va.

Chip Frederick, 37, of the 372nd Military Police Company, was the senior enlisted soldier at Abu Ghraib between October and December of 2003, when the abuses are alleged to have occurred. He has been recommended for court-martial on criminal charges.

Before deployment in February 2003, Frederick was a corrections officer at Buckingham Correctional Center, a state prison in rural Dillwyn, Va., in the south-central part of the state. His wife, Martha, also works there.

An army report obtained by the New Yorker magazine quotes testimony from a witness who said he saw Frederick hit prisoners stacked in a pile and hit a prisoner who posed no threat. The witness also reportedly testified he observed Frederick watching two inmates perform a sexual act.

Frederick has a military lawyer, Capt. Robert Shuck, and a civilian lawyer, Gary Myers. Myers says he will seek to have Frederick's court-martial, if one is ordered, held outside of Iraq.

Specialist Charles Graner of Uniontown, Pa.

Charles Graner, 35, of the 372nd Military Police Company, faces a possible court-martial on criminal charges of maltreatment and indecent acts, according to his civilian lawyer, Guy Womack. His Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury proceeding, has been completed, Womack said.

Before deployment in February 2003, he was a state prison guard in Greene County, Pa., in the southwestern part of the state, for seven years.

He has a 13-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son, who live with his former wife.

An army report obtained by the New Yorker magazine quotes testimony from a witness who said he saw Graner hit prisoners stacked in a pile.

Specialist Sabrina Harman, of Lorton, Va.

Sabrina Harman, of the 372nd Military Police Company, faces criminal charges and a possible court-martial. She is in the process of having an Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury proceeding, according to her mother, Robin Harman.

An army report obtained by the New Yorker magazine quotes testimony from Harman that her job was to keep detainees awake, including one hooded prisoner who was placed on a box with wires attached to his fingers, toes and genitals.

Harman has a civilian lawyer, Frank Spinner, a retired air force colonel from Colorado Springs, Colo., known for defending clients in high-profile military cases.

Specialist Jeremy Sivits of Hyndman, Pa.

Jeremy Sivits, 24, a member of the 372nd Military Police Company, faces possible court-martial on criminal charges.

Sivits has a military lawyer, Lieut. Stanley Martin.

UNDER ADMINISTRATIVE INVESTIGATION:

Capt. Donald Reese, 39, New Stanton, Pa.

Donald Reese was commander of the 372nd Military Police Co. He faces administrative charges, according to his wife, Sue.

She said Reese was effectively the warden of Abu Ghraib at the time the abuses allegedly occurred, but that he knew nothing about prisoner mistreatment.

"He was shocked," she said. "He said he has nothing to hide. He was totally innocent."

She said the couple have a six-year-old daughter and four sons, ages one to 10. The youngest are twins who were just weeks old when Reese's unit was mobilized in February 2003, she said.

Brig.-Gen. Janis Karpinski

Janis Karpinski was suspended from her position last month as commander of U.S.-run prisons in Iraq amid investigations into the claims of abuse.

She is the commander of the 800th Military Police Brigade.

ADMONISHED:

1st Lieut. Lewis Raeder, of Monrovia, Md.

Lewis Raeder, 28, a platoon leader in the 372nd Military Police Company, has been admonished for not training his troops on the Geneva Convention prohibiting mistreatment of prisoners of war and civilian detainees, according to his father, Lewis Raeder.

He said the letter to his son stated that the admonishment would not go in Raeder's file and would not affect his chances for a promotion.

He said Lieut. Raeder took over control of Abu Ghraib on Dec. 20, after the abuses detailed in an army report are alleged to have occurred.

DETAINED:

Specialist Lynndie England, of Fort Ashby, W.Va.

Lynndie England, 21, of the 372nd Military Police Company was trained to be a "paper pusher" and process Iraqi prisoners, her family said.

England has not been charged and has been reassigned to Fort Bragg, N.C. Her family says she has not hired a lawyer and they have had limited contact with her.

Relatives said they believe England is being used as a scapegoat by the military for a process they say must have been systematic.

Iraq Scandal Opens U.S. to Charges of Double Standards
Iraq Scandal Opens U.S. to Charges of Double Standards
Thalif Deen - IPS 5/10/04

UNITED NATIONS, May 7 (IPS) - According to a joke circulating in Washington political circles, former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's notorious torture chamber in the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad -- once held up as a symbol of barbarity -- was never shut down.

A signboard outside the prison chamber now reads: "Under New Management". U.S. management, that is.

The extent of the U.S. administration's embarrassment following the publication of photos showing torture and abuse of Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib is evident in the fact that Washington has postponed the release of the State Department's annual report on human rights abuses worldwide.

The official reasons for the eleventh hour postponement have not been disclosed.

The report usually takes aim at virtually every country, most in the developing world, for human rights excesses while excluding U.S. abuses from its pages.

The question now being asked is: can Washington afford to take a holier-than-thou attitude when it beats up the rest of the world every year in the annual report?

Even the 'New York Times' admitted in its editorial Friday that ''the United States has been humiliated to a point where government officials could not release this year's international human rights report this week for fear of being scoffed at by the rest of the world.''

"Internationally, there is little U.S. credibility on human rights issues," says Phyllis Bennis of the Institute of Policy Studies in Washington.

She attributes the lack of U.S. credibility to two primary factors: "the blatantly political motives of human rights criticisms (largely ignoring abuses in U.S. "client states" like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and especially protecting Israel from the consequences of its human rights violations), and because of U.S. denials in the past of its own human rights abuses".

The harrowing images of US soldiers brutalising and humiliating Iraqi prisoners -- aired worldwide starting last week -- have triggered outrage not only in the Middle East but throughout the world.

The photographs and television images include those of young Iraqis stripped naked and forced to pile up in a pyramid formation, while U.S. soldiers grin at the hideous spectacle.

According to published reports, Iraqi detainees were also beaten up, tortured, threatened with rape and victimised by ferocious guard dogs. Dead bodies are now being exhumed in Iraq to ascertain the cause of death at the hands of soldiers or interrogators from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The United States, which actively participates in an annual ritual of ''bashing'' countries like Iran, Cuba, Syria, North Korea, Sudan and Myanmar at the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva and at the General Assembly sessions in New York, has lost its moral authority to point an accusing finger at miscreants when it has problems in its own backyard, say diplomats from developing nations.

Although the commission holds its major session only once a year, the U.N.'s Third Committee and the General Assembly also take up the question of human rights violations in individual countries every year, from September through December.

Since usually no western nations are singled out for attack, these year-end U.N. resolutions have been described as exercises in ''Third-World bashing.''

But the release of the torture photographs, Bennis told IPS, ''may have the effect of evening the score a bit if, for example, the U.N. Human Rights Commission decides to launch an investigation of its own''.

At its annual sessions last month, the commission abandoned a proposal to probe abuses in Iraq, primarily because of U.S. pressure. Still, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva is expected to present a report on Iraq to the commission May 31.

Acting High Commissioner Bertrand Ramacharan, who expressed disappointment over the commission's inability to adopt a resolution on Iraq last month, has already written to Paul Bremer, the top U.S. administrator in Iraq, members of the Iraqi Governing Council and foreign ministers of countries participating in the U.S.-led coalition forces in the occupied nation, asking them to provide information relevant to the inquiry.

Ramacharan and his team have also expressed their willingness to go to Iraq to probe abuses. But it is very likely Washington will reject this request.

Speaking to U.N. reporters last week, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said the photos had ''stunned every American. It showed acts that are despicable,'' he added.

President George W Bush, who publicly apologised for the growing scandal, went on Arabic television networks this week to say he was ''appalled'' by the abuses.

Bush was momentarily taken aback when an Arab interviewer told him many Arabs believe his administration is no better than the government of former President Saddam Hussein.

''(Human rights) violations by the United States, such as the torture scandal in Iraq, have global repercussions,'' says Roger Normand, executive director of the Centre for Economic and Social Rights.

Normand, who is currently working on a book on the United Nations and human rights, told IPS, ''not only is the United States totally unaccountable for its actions, but also its disregard for human rights in the so-called war against terror encourages other states to violate human rights.''

Moreover, he added, Washington goes so far as to deny the very application of international law to its own actions and consistently covers up abuses by allies like Israel. ''This policy of double standards and U.S. exceptionalism poses a threat to the very existence of the human rights framework,'' he added.

Even as the United States was coming under heavy fire for human rights abuses in Iraq, U.S. Ambassador Sichan Siv blasted the African Group for nominating Sudan for re-election to the human rights commission -- particularly when the country is accused of ethnic cleansing in Darfur.

Responding to the U.S. criticism, Sudanese Ambassador Omar Bashir Mohamed Manis launched an attack on the United States, accusing Washington of political hypocrisy for preaching human rights to the outside world while there are abuses in its own backyard.

''It is yet very ironic that the U.S. delegation, while shedding crocodile tears over the situation in Darfur, is turning a blind eye to the atrocities committed by American forces against the innocent civilian population in Iraq,'' he said.

Normand said the rights commission is composed of 53 member states, most of which violate human rights to some degree. ''The government of Sudan is among the worst, and its record should be strongly condemned,'' he added. ''But U.S. violations have global repercussions.''

Bennis said U.S. credibility will also continue to suffer from the Bush administration's ''unsigning'' of the international criminal court (ICC) treaty.

''If the U.S. were a signatory, the ICC would have clear jurisdiction (to probe U.S. atrocities in Iraq) in case the internal U.S. investigation proved insufficient,'' she added.