US sweep of arrests after Iraq invasion leads to few convictions

[struggle4progress]

Richard Norton-Taylor
Tuesday November 15, 2005
The Guardian

More than 35,000 Iraqis have been detained by American troops since the invasion of the country but only a tiny fraction have been convicted of wrongdoing, the Guardian has learned.

About 21,000 have been released without ever being charged or tried. Of the 1,300 who have been charged, only half have been found guilty.

Some 13,500 Iraqis are still being detained, more than double last year's total, according to official American figures. The figures were obtained by the Liberal Democrats from sources in US Central Command, which oversees all American military operations in Iraq.

Most of the "security detainees" still being held are in "theatre internment facilities" including Abu Ghraib, the prison at the centre of the scandals of abuse by US troops. Others are being held in division or brigade internment centres. <snip>

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1642817,00.html

[NanceGreggs]

1. Mmmmm .....

"About 21,000 have been released without ever being charged or tried. Of the 1,300 who have been charged, only half have been found guilty."

Is that why we have to torture these 'people who are determined to harm America', so we can narrow the number down to the 'real culprits'?

God forgive us.

[rodeodance]

2. paranonia has taken over.

[daleo]

3. I wonder how this compares to Saddam's prison population

I have my doubts that the numbers would differ that much.

[Nihil]

4. Saddam was probably more honest ...

... at reporting the numbers. If you wait another few months, the
"official" figures here will go up again ...

[Briar]

5. ...and the consequence is:

"In a second report, in April, it said there was overwhelming evidence that US mistreatment and torture of Muslim prisoners took place not only at Abu Ghraib but at facilities throughout Afghanistan and Iraq. It concluded that "a good number of the victims were civilians with no connection to al-Qaida or terrorism".

"The Lib Dems argued yesterday that there was reason to believe that a significant proportion of those who had been detained were joining, or rejoining, the insurgency after their release. The US system of detentions may actually be fuelling the insurgency, they argue.

"Official US figures help support this. The number of Iraqis detained by the US and other foreign forces has more than doubled in a year and a half. The number of attacks has also more than doubled. "It is difficult to think of anything better calculated to create antagonism among the Iraqi population than detention against which there is no right to challenge or to appeal," the Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman, Sir Menzies Campbell, said yesterday. He added: "Acting wholly contrary to accepted principle and without regard to legal obligations will inevitably make the struggle much more difficult. For the Iraqi government to have such a subordinate role until the point of conviction simply underlines the fact that they are a long way from having sovereignty over their own country."

The Lib Dems might add that this is one reason why they oppose Bliar's assault on habeas corpus!