U.S. Cites Array of Rights Abuses by the Iraqi Government in 2004

[rodeodance]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/01/politics/01rights.html?th

March 1, 2005
U.S. Cites Array of Rights Abuses by the Iraqi Government in 2004

By BRIAN KNOWLTON
International Herald Tribune

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 - The State Department on Monday detailed an array of human rights abuses last year by the Iraqi government, including torture, rape and illegal detentions by police officers and functionaries of the interim administration that took power in June.

In the Bush administration's bluntest description of human rights transgressions by the American-supported government, the report said the Iraqis "generally respected human rights, but serious problems remained" as the government and American-led foreign forces fought a violent insurgency. It cited "reports of arbitrary deprivation of life, torture, impunity, poor prison conditions - particularly in pretrial detention facilities - and arbitrary arrest and detention."

The lengthy discussion came in a chapter on Iraq in the department's annual report on human rights, which pointedly criticized not only countries that had been found chronically deficient, like North Korea, Syria and Iran, but also some close American allies, including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

The allegations of abuses by an Iraqi government installed by the United States and still heavily influenced by it provided an unusual element to the larger report. The report did not address incidents in Iraq in which Americans were involved, like the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, which came to light in 2004.
...............

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. Freedom's on the march... what a poorly run invasion... I sure they

could have done much better if they had the required number of troops... but you know.. them smart people in D.C. just forgot to send them.

[Redstone]

11. The number of troops doesn't have anything to do with it!

We could have sent thirty divisions, rolled over the place in five days, and this would still have happened. These were the people we put in charge, and we woudl still have put the same ones in charge no matter how many soldiers we had there.

Redstone

[Zhade]

3. The fucking NERVE of these traitors!

As if they can speak from a moral authority, considering they TAUGHT the Iraqis to do this shit!

[Demeter]

4. Excuse Me, but WE Were the Gov't. of Iraq in 2004!

So WE were responsible for the abuses. No amount of window dressing, hand waving, or legerdemain will obscure that salient fact!

[shadowknows69]

5. Even their spin doctors have now officially lost their minds n/t

[ConcernedCanuk]

6. Look at the list below, and tell how much applies to the UNITED STATES!

.
.
.

From the posted Article: (bolding is mine)


The report, coming days after some critics suggested that President Bush had been insufficiently tough with President Vladimir V. Putin, listed several complaints about Russia. It criticized the central government's consolidation of power at the expense of the regions, its restriction of news media, and its allowing of political pressure to taint the judiciary. :shrug: - sound familiar?

It said China, which has a growing commercial relationship with the United States, continued to abuse prisoners, harass activists and restrict religious practices.:shrug:

North Korea was condemned for continued "brutal and repressive" treatment of its people; Iran for allowing citizen's freedom to "deteriorate;" and Syria for widespread use of torture, poor prison conditions and mass arrests of Kurds.

Sudan's human rights record was called extremely poor, both for restricting freedoms and for the continuing violence by government-linked militias in Darfur Province.



They are describing their own actions, and ascribing them to other nations. Albeit most of those nations are probably guilty of said acts

BUT SO IS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

And they are doing it in dozens of countries around the globe, not just their own

So STFU USA, and clean your own house!

yeah

this was a rant

:eyes:

[NNN0LHI]

7. Perhaps we should invade them and put a stop to it?

Oh, we already done that. Never mind.

Don

[FlashHarry]

8. Meet the new boss...

...same as the old boss.


Fool me once... fool me... we won't get fooled again! Or maybe we will. Well, yeah, I guess we will. Never mind.

[LizW]

9. Speechless

I can't think of a response. I'm utterly dumbfounded. The Iraqi government during 2004 -- wasn't that US?

"Arbitrary deprivation of life, torture, impunity, poor prison conditions...arbitrary arrest and detention..." Didn't Seymour Hersh write a whole book on how WE were doing all those things?

This is insane. We have officially gone over the edge.

[cthrumatrix]

13. of course it cannot be the US .... Iraq attacked itself...Bremmer was

never there

[cthrumatrix]

10. Report Criticizes Interim Iraq Government (AP)

Report Criticizes Interim Iraq Government

2 minutes ago Middle East - AP



WASHINGTON - Serious human rights abuses occurred under the interim Iraqi government installed by the United States after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), including torture, illegal detention by police and forced confessions, according to a State Department report.



Though the interim government did reverse "a long legacy of serious human rights abuses" under Saddam, the report said that "corruption at all levels of government remained a problem" during the period and Iraqis continued to be victimized by police, courts and others in authority.


Iraqi officials were correcting these practices, the report said. It said the January elections and continuing struggle against insurgent violence had helped "create momentum for the improvement of human rights practices."

snip

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=1&u=/ap/20050301/ap_on_re_mi_ea/human_rights

[Warren Stupidity]

12. so will hannity be mentioning the rape rooms and torture chambers

of our Iraqi government at every opportunity?

I guess not, huh?

[NNN0LHI]

14. This is a warning to the US installed government in Iraq

Play ball or you will be sitting in the dock with Saddam for war crimes real soon.

Don

[Rose Siding]

15. How did the Onion miss this one?

Just amazing.

[Moderator]

16. kick to combine threads

[True_Blue]

17. US state department slams Iraqi government's human rights record

The US state department has criticised the Iraqi government for serious human rights abuses including extra-judicial killings, torture, rape and illegal detentions, with some of the worst violations committed in Basra.

The section on the western-backed Baghdad government in the state department's annual global human rights assessment this week noted that Iraq "generally respected human rights" and the present situation could not be com pared with the pre-war dictatorship of Saddam Hussein or the atrocities committed by the insurgents. But the report noted that "serious problems remained".

The state department looked into reports of "arbitrary deprivation of life" focusing on Basra, the city in southern Iraq garrisoned by British troops.

It cited police reports alleging that officers from an Iraqi intelligence internal affairs unit killed 10 Ba'ath party members and a mother and daughter accused of prostitution.

more....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1428282,00.html?gusrc=rss

[daleo]

I think this is an indication of dissatisfaction with Blair, by Bush.

"The state department looked into reports of "arbitrary deprivation of life" focusing on Basra, the city in southern Iraq garrisoned by British troops."

Yes, it takes an amount of gall that can only be measured in solar masses.

[montana_hazeleyes]

1. This whole sh*t

gets more "Alice in Wonderland" every day. MEDIA---GROW A PAIR, EXPOSE ALL THIS HYPOCRISY AND BULLSH*T.

[merwin]

18. Weren't we the ones doing the torturing, raping, and illegal detentions?

The neocons are at it again!! They blame other people (usually lying about it) for doing the acts that they are about to be accused of. That way, any accusations against them will be construed as retaliation.

[applegrove]

19. Where is the report on Darfur?

[NYC]

20. That takes gall.

[Darranar]

21. So they're disassociating themselves with the policies...

their puppets implemented.

"We were just giving the orders" - a brilliant defense, indeed.

[sonicx]

22. Is this a joke?

I can't tell anymore...

[NVMojo]

23. what a fucking uneducated excuse for an insult.

[leesa]

24. Ahh yes...blame the abuses on the country YOU occupy and abuse.

This is so cheap!