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06/03/2006
Amnesty warns of Iraq abuse
Thousands of detainees held by British forces in Iraq are being denied their basic rights, Amnesty International has claimed.
Amnesty made the claims in a new report - 'Beyond Abu Ghraib: Detention and Torture in Iraq'. In the 48-page report, the organisation said that there was "increasing evidence" of detainees being tortured by Iraqi security forces.
Amnesty said that some detainees had now been held without charge or trial for more than two years, The organisation also criticised the systems used by both the US and UK to review detainees' cases, saying that they failed to meet international standards, including the requirement for court oversight.
Detainees were also routinely denied access to lawyers and their families, Amnesty claimed.
Kate Allen, UK director of Amnesty International, said: "Not only are prisoners being held in defiance of international law, but the allegations of torture continue to pour out of Iraq.
"After the horrors of life under Saddam and then the fresh horror of US prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, it is shocking to discover that the multinational forces are detaining thousands of people without charge or trial.
"As long as US and UK forces hold prisoners in secret detention conditions, torture is much more likely to occur, to go undetected and to go unpunished."
Amnesty said that it was "imperative" that both multinational forces and Iraqi authorities took "urgent steps to reassert the importance of fundamental human rights if there is to be any hope of halting Iraq's slide towards ever increasing violence and sectarianism.
The organisation said that detainees' rights needed to be respected in full and that all allegations of torture or other abuses should be thoroughly and promptly investigated and that those responsible for ordering or carrying out the abuses were brought to justice.
The Ministry of Defence condemned all acts of abuse and said that any allegations were always taken seriously and police investigations were launched if it was suspected that a criminal act might have taken place.
A spokesperson for the MoD said that the government had "no interest" in detaining individuals in Iraq, other than to protect both Iraqi and British security and military personnel and civilians from attack.
(KMcA/GB)
Amnesty made the claims in a new report - 'Beyond Abu Ghraib: Detention and Torture in Iraq'. In the 48-page report, the organisation said that there was "increasing evidence" of detainees being tortured by Iraqi security forces.
Amnesty said that some detainees had now been held without charge or trial for more than two years, The organisation also criticised the systems used by both the US and UK to review detainees' cases, saying that they failed to meet international standards, including the requirement for court oversight.
Detainees were also routinely denied access to lawyers and their families, Amnesty claimed.
Kate Allen, UK director of Amnesty International, said: "Not only are prisoners being held in defiance of international law, but the allegations of torture continue to pour out of Iraq.
"After the horrors of life under Saddam and then the fresh horror of US prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, it is shocking to discover that the multinational forces are detaining thousands of people without charge or trial.
"As long as US and UK forces hold prisoners in secret detention conditions, torture is much more likely to occur, to go undetected and to go unpunished."
Amnesty said that it was "imperative" that both multinational forces and Iraqi authorities took "urgent steps to reassert the importance of fundamental human rights if there is to be any hope of halting Iraq's slide towards ever increasing violence and sectarianism.
The organisation said that detainees' rights needed to be respected in full and that all allegations of torture or other abuses should be thoroughly and promptly investigated and that those responsible for ordering or carrying out the abuses were brought to justice.
The Ministry of Defence condemned all acts of abuse and said that any allegations were always taken seriously and police investigations were launched if it was suspected that a criminal act might have taken place.
A spokesperson for the MoD said that the government had "no interest" in detaining individuals in Iraq, other than to protect both Iraqi and British security and military personnel and civilians from attack.
(KMcA/GB)
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