New Evidence of Recent Torture in Iraq

[mom cat]

New Evidence of Recent Torture in Iraq
Published Tuesday, August 31st, 2004
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Middle East - 15:48 GMT

Lisa Ashkenaz Croke

While the latest reports investigating the widely condemned events at Abu Ghraib prison attempt to close the book on the Pentagon’s culpability with a somber critique, new evidence gathered for a class action lawsuit filed against two US-based private contractors could prove that the scandal at Abu Ghraib was far from an isolated series of incidents perpetrated by a few rowdy “bad apples” working the night shift during Ramadan.

An attorney representing former detainees says his recent fact-finding mission to Baghdad uncovered dozens of cases of physical and psychological abuse, sexual humiliation, religious desecration and rape in ten US-run prisons throughout occupied Iraq.

The NewStandard spoke with Michigan-based attorney Shereef Akeel, who interviewed some 50 former detainees about their time and treatment in US custody. Part of the legal team behind a class action lawsuit against the firms for their employees’ involvement in prison abuse at US-run facilities in Iraq, the former immigration lawyer found himself traveling to meet face-to-face with the people he is representing in the American court system.

His team has documented abuse dating from July 2003 to as recently as last month, when an Iraqi boy just fifteen years old says his captors at an American facility raped him. “He was told to go on all fours naked and was sodomized from behind,” Akeel conveyed the fifteen year-old’s testimony. “He said they made him dance and he was crying.”


http://www.world-crisis.com/news/698_0_1_0_M/

[istruthfull]

1. liberation

I was all for liberation. How long did it take before we turned these guys into freedom fighters. Don't get me wrong, I believe we should support our troops 100% because wherever they are they are there for us and they don't get to choose their campaigns.

[sally343434]

6. Yeah, that's right. "Support the troops!"

With all due respect, I can't fathom anyone saying they "support the troops" when they've gone on a wild bloodthirsty killing and terrorizing spree unprecedented in the history of our country.

While they may not be able to "choose their campaigns," they can certainly choose to refuse to fight. If given a choice of either "going to jail" or kiling thousands of innocent civilians, which would you choose?

[CWebster]

11. I'll bet the "good Germans"

Supported the troops...

[searchingforlight]

2. This will never see print or voice in the mainstream media.

So many Americans don't really care what we do to Iraqs and they don't want to believe that this is really happening.

The old saying used to be "All the news that's fit to print." Now its "All the news we want to print."

[Alpharetta]

5. a NewsGoogle of "Shareef Akeel" yields 7 results

This article has only been carried by a few progressive news outlets.

Mr. Akeel was on NPR this summer. http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=3807438

So I tend to agree with you. Until he files suit, he doesn't appear to be getting much press despite NPR's interest.

[kayell]

3. Oh hell

:cry:

[bvar22]

4. What happened to the "next round"....

...of abuse allegations? I remember ashen faced congress critters leaving a private screening of thousands of pictures. They all exclaimed that the scandal was much worse than what had been revealed so far.
I haven't heard much lately. The whole mess has been stopped at a few bad apples committing fraternity pranks.

[Disturbed]

7. If it aint on TV...

it never happened.

System Wide Torture Policy- Cover Up

The Neo Fascists control the Govt., Congress and the Media.

[nosmokes]

8. damn it, is anyone in charge over there?

WTF has happened to our army? where has the honor gone?

[truthspeaker]

10. Yes, Rumsfeld is in charge and this is happening on his orders.

[stickdog]

9. kick

[radwriter0555]

12. No one seriously thought it STOPPED, did they?

I hope they weren't silly enough.

[CWebster]

13. They probably stopped taking so many pictures

along the way.

[nosmokes]

14. kick

:kick: