U.S. Military Vows to Keep Afghan Jails Secret

[ze_dscherman]

KABUL (Reuters) - Accused of failing to tackle prison abuses in Afghanistan while rushing to contain the scandal in Iraq, the U.S. military in Kabul said it would review its secretive jails but vowed to keep them shut to the outside world.

The families of two Afghans who died from wounds sustained in a U.S. detention center at Bagram, just north of Kabul, 18 months ago, are still waiting for the outcome of a U.S. investigation

SNIP

He (inserted: U.S. military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Tucker Mansager)also said journalists would not be allowed to see it, despite reporters being given access this month to Abu Ghraib, depicted in images of abuse of prisoners by American soldiers that sparked a backlash across the Arab world.

"It's the coalition's continued policy to treat persons under confinement in the spirit of the Geneva Conventions.

"Part of that spirit is to ensure that the persons under confinement are not subject to any kind of exploitation. It is the coalition's position that allowing media into the facilities would compromise that protection."

http://news.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5191242

[Disturbed]

1. WTF?

" It is the coalition's position that allowing media into the facilities would compromise that protection."

Where do these people get this type of insane logic?

[DivByZero]

8. Pretzel Logic

Look it up in the dictionary, and you'll find a reference to the article }(

[newyawker99]

12. Hi SecretEgo!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[cornermouse]

2. Otherwise known as using the law

to help cover-up the fact that you are breaking the law.

This is the kind of leadership that Bush is providing. A truly great example for our kids to see and emulate...

[jean]

3. are they letting the Red Cross in?

[Bandit]

10. If they are indeed following the Geneva accords they have to.

That will be the telling factor. If they deny the Red Cross access they have broken the Geneva Convention accords.

[noonwitch]

4. Instead of covering it up, has it occurred to them to not torture people?

It reminds me of the old county youth home. They used to serve the kids the nastiest, grossest food. Everytime a state worker saw what they were serving, a complaint got called into Lansing. So the county's response? A new policy that stated no workers could visit kids during mealtimes. It never occurred to the county that perhaps ensuring better quality food would be a better answer.

[RedEarth]

5. They want to keep Osama hidden from public view until Nov. 1...

Actually I don't believe that's the case, however, you never know.......

[TryingToWarnYou]

6. "Spirit" of the Geneva Convention??

Wow...I guess that means that they dont have to follow the law at all.

There is no "spirit".. the law is the law.

Fuck, I hate these assholes.

[RedCloud]

7. Pass out the brown shirts.

Each day we are more and more resembling the fascists we supposedly fought, but yet allowed to collaborate with our CIA and FBI.

[Judi Lynn]

9. This leaves very little to the imagination.

From the Reuters article:

(snip)
A former police officer from near the city of Gardez said he was beaten and sexually abused during around 40 days in U.S. custody last year, and Human Rights Watch has called the mistreatment of detainees "systemic" in Afghanistan.

Two new investigations have been launched this month into prisoner abuse. A third, into the death in custody of two Afghans 18 months ago, has yet to be completed, to the dismay of family and friends of the men who died.

Both suffered "blunt force injuries" to the legs at Bagram, according to press reports quoting their death certificates.

Mansager said a large number of changes were made to procedures at Bagram in the wake of the deaths, and the U.S. military had nothing to hide.

"We're very comfortable with what we're doing, but nonetheless we are always in search of improvements and changes."
(snip)

The guy's a real wit, isn't he?

[struggle4progress]

11. Only transparency can prevent abuse. eom