Arianna: The Disturbing Case of Abdul Amir Younes Hussein

[CatWoman]

The disturbing case of Abdul Amir Younes Hussein, the CBS cameraman who has been detained by U.S. forces in Iraq for over five months without a shred of evidence being publicly presented against him, has taken yet another bizarre turn.

As reported by the New York Times and Wall Street Journal last week, Hussein is a 25-year-old freelancer who has found himself trapped in a nightmare of secrecy, suspicion, and legal uncertainty since being wounded by U.S. forces while filming the aftermath of a car bombing in Mosul on April 5th.

At first the military expressed regret for Hussein's
minor injuries. But three days later they arrested him, claiming he had been "engaged in anti-coalition activity." Thus began his Kafka-esque legal odyssey, which has seen the reportedly timid reporter shuttled from prison to prison (including Abu Ghraib), while the military has changed its story multiple times, refused to release any evidence against him, refused to let Hussein be visited by friends or relatives, and rebuffed the efforts of CBS to have his case adjudicated in a conclusive manner.

"We're not insisting that Abdul Amir is innocent," CBS President Andrew Heyward told me. "We're just asking for due process and some answers, which so far the military has refused to provide. What are the specific charges against him? What is the evidence against him? Why can't we see it? Instead, we've seen shifting explanations and seemingly arbitrary rulings."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/kafka-does-iraq-the-dist_b_7796.html

[Mr Rabble]

1. Jesus Christ already! When is this nightmare over?

Are the profits that important?

[FM Arouet666]

2. Silly me, I thought we were fighting for democracy

And part of our democracy is due process. Holding someone without legal representation, without letting him know the charges against him, without allowing him to defend himself. If we are made to believe that this is tolerable because of war, when will this affront to civil liberties extend to the United States? We do have a war to fight, but it is against the anti-american GOP administration.

[bottomofthehill]

3. Makes the whole Judith Miller Thing.........

seem not so important all the sudden

[Psyop Samurai]

4. Perhaps Mr. Hussein witnessed something that was, um...

what's that euphemism they use?... oh yes... "embarassing" to the "coalition" forces.