US calls for sacking of Iraq's interior minister over Sunni prisoner abuse

[Eugene]

US calls for sacking of Iraq's interior minister over Sunni prisoner abuse

Jonathan Steele
Saturday December 17, 2005
The Guardian

The US is pressing for the sacking of Bayan Jabr, Iraq's Shia interior minister, whose staff have
been discovered to be torturing Sunni prisoners. With a strong Sunni role in Iraq's next government
apparently secure after their high turnout in Thursday's election, US officials want to ensure that
cabinet posts are no longer exploited for sectarian or partisan ends. Sunnis have long complained
that the interior ministry is one of the worst offenders.

Inspections of two detention centres on the eve of this week's poll found around 800 inmates, many
of them teenagers, living in cramped conditions under interior ministry guard. Dozens had to be sent
to hospital for injuries administered by guards.

Since the first torture centre was revealed the US ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, has taken steps to
prevent further abuse. US officers are being "embedded" with interior ministry forces, commandos and
police when they raid houses. Along with officials from Iraq's human rights ministry, they are also
making surprise inspections of prisons and detention centres.

<snip>

On polling day he made it clear in an article in the Washington Post that he wanted Mr Jabr dismissed
or moved to a different job. "It will be important that the head of security ministries be trusted
by all communities and not come from elements of the population that have militias. Equally important
is that key ministers be selected not just for political considerations but also for competence,"
he wrote. "The next government must put more emphasis on human rights."

<snip>

Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1669466,00.html

[FutureChild]

1. Woh

Right on. Abuse is bad.
Which Minister you sacking for the torture?
Where the torture photograph?
We need so we can :rofl: sack someone in the US too.

[Drum]

2. wow, that's rich.

and the US has what kinda standing on the topic of prisoner mistreatment? the US sacked which ministers for such policies?

oh never mind.

[Erika]

3. Who is going to run Iraq? Us or them?

Should we just declare them a state?

[Theduckno2]

4. My thinking too! This is how Bushco promotes democracy.

The Iraqis hold national parlimentary elections and then Bushco tells them what to do. All I can think to do at 3 o'clock in the morning is shake my head in disbelief.

[MaineDem]

5. Right! And the US has fired which of its "ministers" for the same thing?

Do I see a serious double standard here?

[Solly Mack]

6. lololololololololololololol

I'll have to die before I see the end of America's criminal hypocrisy.

[HuffleClaw]

7. this is some sort of inside joke right ?

after all, the newly SOVEREIGN iraq surely wouldn't be dictated to by the US would it? this stuff must be scripted by the zucker brothers i think.

[Rose Siding]

8. Same situation for Rumsfeld, but he's doing a heckuva job.

How will we ever redeem our credibility?

[rodeodance]

9. the Adm. goes after the top brass in Irag but after the lowly 'bad apples"

when it comes to Americans. Our top brass were promoted.