It appears that the USA is operating Death Camps in Iraq

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L05389477.htm

Amnesty condemns detention without trial in Iraq
06 Mar 2006 00:02:13 GMT

Source: Reuters

LONDON, March 6 (Reuters) - Amnesty International condemned the detention in Iraq of around 14,000 prisoners without charge or trial, saying on Monday the lessons of the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal had not been learned.

"As long as U.S. and U.K. forces hold prisoners in secret detention conditions, torture is much more likely to occur, to go undetected and to go unpunished," Amnesty's U.K. Director Kate Allen said.

In a 48-page-report entitled "Beyond Abu Ghraib", the London-based human rights group called for an end to the internment, which it said contravened international law.

"After the horrors of life under Saddam and then the fresh horror of U.S. prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, it is shocking to discover that the multinational forces are detaining thousands of people without charge or trial," Allen said.

"Not only have there been recent cases of prisoners being tortured in detention, but to hold this huge number of people without basic legal safeguards is a gross dereliction of responsibility on the part of both the U.S. and U.K. forces." snip

"His brother reports that he has received insufficient food and has lost some 20 kilos in weight in prison," Amnesty said.

[Sensitivity]

1. Has the Iraq operation reached the "Crime against humanity" level???

[arcane1]

2. it's not a crime, apparently, if the victims speak Arabic

[SammyBlue]

7. After all, democracy and freedom are one the march!

One dead arab body at a time!

[Selatius]

3. I'm sorry, but I vehemently object to the term "death camp"

Those prisons are not murder machines, assembly lines of death. They are prisons that are poorly run and maintained. They are not camps to house people for gassing and termination, and I would argue with anybody who would compare the two. Are they both horrific? Yes, but one was established with the explicit purpose of annihilating opposition and erasing an entire group of people off the face of earth, while the latter was built for a totally different reason.

[roody]

5. Please suggest an appropriate term.

We have not yet reached the heights of evil that Nazi Germany did. There must be a word to describe these concentration camps with no charges, no trials, and certainly widespread torture.

[tridim]

8. How about "King Bush's torture and rape center"?

[FreedomAngel82]

12. The key word

YET. People have died from all the abuse.

[Journeyman]

9. Yes. Hyperbole such as this marginalizes DU and is detrimental. . .

to the cause of human rights within Iraq. "Death camps" indeed. Such foolish bullshit. The article doesn't even mention one death within the prisons, let alone a camp for exterminations. It's overblown, wildly irrational blither like this that causes me to increasingly question the value of the DU boards. If all we're going to find here are lies and exaggerations, I may as well read White House.gov.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

10. You need to wake the heck up.

[Ani Yun Wiya]

14. Nazis were not the only

ones with death camps in the course of human history.

[Dhalgren]

16. There were probably more camp inmates killed through

starvation, disease and being worked to death than died in the "killing factories" in Nazi Germany. All of the camps were "killing" camps - whether they had gas chambers or not. If the end result is the anonymous deaths of thousands of wrongfully imprisoned people, why not call a spade a spade? This idea that what you call the area of death is of some importance is odd to me...

[Selatius]

18. There is a big difference between gross negligence and intentional genocid

What the Nazis did was attempt to wipe people out. Anybody who wasn't of Aryan descent was destined for annihilation, and whether they were gassed to death or worked or starved to death doesn't change that fact of policy.

These prisons are not being run for that purpose. They're being run to try to silence opposition more akin to Apartheid South Africa or authoritarian China of today. This is different than organized genocide, and I don't know about you, but I think it's a big difference to the survivors of places like Auschwitz and Treblinka.

[leftchick]

4. this just makes me weep

is there no end to their crimes and this fucking nightmare?? :cry:

[oblivious]

6. 2002: Saddam frees all prisoners, except spies for US and Israel

Iraqi president frees all prisoners, except 'spies'
Sunday, October 20, 2002
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ordered Sunday that all prisoners be released, including non-Iraqi Arabs, with the exception of those accused of spying for the United States or Israel.

Saddam won a 100 percent victory in an uncontested election Tuesday to remain the nation's leader for another seven years.

Even murderers were being freed on the condition that they make restitution to victims' families -- including financial compensation -- within one month, Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf told reporters.

After the presidential decree was issued, al-Sahhaf read a statement clarifying that killers would be freed, but must seek forgiveness from the victims' relatives to remain free.

"Prisoners and detainees would be set free immediately except in the case of those who are sentenced or detained because of killing, and they would be set free only if the families of victims would forgive them, or if they hand back their debts to the government or people," the decree said.

In a televised address, al-Sahhaf asked the Iraqi people to welcome the prisoners back into society and forgive them.

The amnesty includes political prisoners -- for the first time in Saddam's 23 years in power.

The decree also forgives fugitives and people wanted on charges outside of Iraq, including those facing a death sentence.

CNN Correspondent Jane Arraf said busloads of just-released prisoners waved white handkerchiefs and danced. Outside jails, relatives waited to greet family members.

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/10/20/iraq.amnesty/

Saddam sets free political prisoners

Iraqi leader courts support at home and attempts to placate west with widespread prison amnesty

Rory McCarthy in Basra
Monday October 21, 2002
The Guardian
Saddam Hussein ordered a surprise amnesty for almost all prisoners, including those in political detention, yesterday in an apparent attempt to strengthen his support in the face of US threats of war.

Large crowds gathered to celebrate outside the country's jails shortly after the midday amnesty was announced. All those who are to be pardoned, thought to number several thousand, are to be released within two days.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,816017,00.html

[FreedomAngel82]

13. Oh wow

He's better than Bush. You won't hear this on the corporote news.

[MessiahRp]

17. In fairness...

From what I recall, Saddam was releasing those prisoners to make a positive impression. He was still playing the victim of US aggression card in hoping to turn the rest of the world against the US.

I am not condoning what we have done, the Iraq war as a whole or Bush in anyway, I am just putting that one action in context.

As long as we continue to treat all Iraqi citizens and enemies of this administration as terrorists who do not deserve human rights, we are condemned to repeat the lessons of Hitler, Stalin and Pot.

Rp

[Disturbed]

15. Death Camps may be too strong of a term

even though so far a reported estimate of 90 detainees have died in these places. Of course nobody knows how many detainees have atually died while intered in these places. Some of the prisons are so well hidden that the Red Cross and other agencies do not know where they are, only that well over 12 prisons have been reported to exist but no location has been discovered. The US/UK label the detainees as enemy combatents, terrorists, aids to terrorists etc. and grant them no rights. The Iraq Govt. does nothing about that either. Iraq is definetly a Police State. The Neo Fascist Regime of the USA labels Iraq as a Democracy, which is another lie among thousands of others that they spew.

Internment Camps?

[FreedomAngel82]

11. So sad

Not one tried and persecuted for any "crime." I saw a great protest sign from an Iraqi that said "Bush=Saddam". So true. :(

[Horse with no Name]

19. "lost some 20 kilos in weight"

That is 44 pounds. Pretty substantial.:(