Activism Change

Iraq slams U.S.'s "illegal" detentions

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Usual copy/paste crap

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Iraq slams U.S.’s "illegal" detentions Iraq’s Justice Minister slammed the U.S. army for detaining thousands of Iraqis for long periods without charge and denounced a UN resolution that protects occupation forces from Iraqi law, Reuters reported. Minister Abdul Hussein Shandal also condemned the U.S. military for the detentions of Iraqi reporters and said that the media, contrary to the U.S.’s foreign policy in Iraq, must have special legal protection to report on all parties in the conflict. "No citizen should be arrested without a court order," Reuters quoted Shandal as saying. "There is abuse (of human rights) due to detentions, which are overseen by the Multinational Force (MNF) and are not in the control of the justice ministry," he added. UN Resolution 1546 Killings and unjustified detentions of Iraqi civilians by U.S. occupation forces may go unpunished, Shandal said, due the UN Security Council resolution 1546, which gave the U.S.-led troops immunity from Iraqi law following the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.  "The resolution … gives immunity to the MNF and means taking no action against the MNF no matter what happens or whatever they do against the people of Iraq," he said. "We’re hoping to make more efforts with the Security Council and the whole United Nations to end this resolution or amend it so that anyone who violates Iraqi law or assaults any citizen is held accountable, "This is a matter of sovereignty," he stressed. Shandal also said that he was demanding the U.S. army to accelerate the releases for more than 10,000 Iraqis who have been detained without charge at the Abu Ghraib jail and elsewhere. Speaking of the Combined Review and Release Board (CRRB), which guarantees prisoners a hearing every six months, he said: "The representatives of the MNF in the committee have the rights and all the authority under the UN resolution." Media rights Shandal also expressed his concerns over the U.S. army’s rejection to accord special consideration to the media and at the number of journalists detained for many months by U.S. forces. Asked if the Iraqi government approved of such detentions, which U.S. forces claim they implement with Iraqi officials’ approval, Shandal said: "I am a man of law and a judge and I respect human rights … No citizen should be arrested without a court order." Many reporters have been arrested by U.S. forces in Iraq. Some have been freed weeks or months later with no explanation. Several others have been "mistakenly" killed by U.S. troops, including a soundman working for Reuters who was shot to death by a sniper on Aug. 28. The U.S. army seems to think that "everyone in a conflict area with a camera is a potential terrorist," said Alastair Macdonald, the Reuters bureau chief in Baghdad. "The burden of proof is on them to prove that they’re not." Shandal said that journalists need special legal protection and defended unbiased and independent reporting from all sides, including from rebel-held areas. He insisted on reporters’ rights to film and interview Iraqi fighters without fear of arrest or worse. "Full freedom should be given to journalists to take pictures and film in the field," he said. "Without images what would we know of history? … We would know nothing." http://islamonline.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.as…

Very interesting topic

Response:

Filed under: Human Rights

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