Amnesty International Wants Iraqi Prison To Stay

[Rosco T.]

http://www.thecarolinachannel.com/news/3344427/detail.h...

A leading human rights group disagreed with President George W. Bush over the fate of the Iraqi prison at the center of the abuse scandal.

In a prime-time speech on postwar Iraq on Monday, Bush pledged to demolish Abu Ghraib prison as "a fitting symbol of Iraq's new beginning." Scores of U.S. lawmakers from both parties have advocated leveling the prison, also a symbol of Saddam Hussein-era torture.

But Amnesty International challenged Bush's plans, arguing that leaving Abu Ghraib standing could help in prosecuting crimes committed there under Saddam.

An Amnesty representative said tearing down the prison could destroy evidence of torture by Saddam's regime. He said it could prevent a "detailed accounting" of crimes at the notorious Baghdad-area facility.