U.N. torture envoy says U.S. deny access to Iraq jails

[flashl]

Source: Reuters

GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. investigator on torture said on Tuesday the United States had denied his request to visit U.S.-run jails in Iraq and insisted a visit could help clear its legacy of the prison abuse scandal in Abu Ghraib.

Manfred Nowak, United Nations special rapporteur on torture, said he had received credible information the situation had improved at U.S. detention facilities in recent years, but stressed only a visit would allow him to verify them.

An international outcry erupted in 2004 after images of prisoner abuse by U.S. military personnel at Abu Ghraib west of Baghdad, including naked detainees stacked in a pyramid and others cowering before snarling dogs, became public.

"I was a little astonished that the U.S. government is not willing to grant me access because it might perhaps even be in their own interest if I compared different detention facilities," Nowak told a news briefing in Geneva.

Reuters

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL1113820080311

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'We' have nothing to hide, maybe 'we' are waiting for the torture bill to pass?

[Solly Mack]

1. astonished is he?

snort

[pleah]

2. They won't let them in, because we are still breaking the law!

[lumpy]

3. We can only come to that conclusion.

x

[stillcool]

4. The U.N. should know better...

that guy should resign his post immediately, and drive, not walk, to do it.

[LynnTheDem]

5. That's coz the FACT is...

America TORTURES people.

Let's stop the bullshit mealy-mouthed parsing. WE TORTURE.

[go west young man]

6. On the money. We Torture.

[Barrett808]

7. U.N. torture envoy says U.S. deny access to Iraq jails

Source: Reuters

U.N. torture envoy says U.S. deny access to Iraq jails
By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. investigator on torture said on Tuesday the United States had denied his request to visit U.S.-run jails in Iraq and insisted a visit could help clear its legacy of the prison abuse scandal in Abu Ghraib.

Manfred Nowak, United Nations special rapporteur on torture, said he had received credible information the situation had improved at U.S. detention facilities in recent years, but stressed only a visit would allow him to verify them.

An international outcry erupted in 2004 after images of prisoner abuse by U.S. military personnel at Abu Ghraib west of Baghdad, including naked detainees stacked in a pyramid and others cowering before snarling dogs, became public.

"I was a little astonished that the U.S. government is not willing to grant me access because it might perhaps even be in their own interest if I compared different detention facilities," Nowak told a news briefing in Geneva.

"It might also be in their interest in overcoming the legacy of having been criticized so much for torture practices in Abu Ghraib and other detention facilities up to 2004," he added.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080311/ts_nm/un_torture_dc

[OhioChick]

8. No Access?

Wonder what they have to hide?

[frog92969]

9. "legacy of having been criticized so much for torture practices"

That's right! War criminal right over here!

INVESTIGATE! INVESTIGATE!

[xxqqqzme]

10. What not letting inspectors in????

Oh, the irony of it all.

[jonnyra]

11. Someone may want remind this fellow

that our president...the president of the great land of freedom and democracy...just vetoed a bill that would have banned torture. You see this administration is evil and they do evil things. They bomb innocent people, destroy their cities and water supplies, they steal from the poor and hand it over to rich, wealthy corporates. They break, rewrite or just ignore laws that get in their way. They party and shop while their own citizens are drowning in horrific floods.

Once people get their heads around the fact that America is run by truly evil people these kinds of things would not come as such a surprise to them.

[Barrett808]

12. k & r