U.S. AND ALLIES TORTURED KIDS IN IRAQ PRISONS

[kpete]

U.S. And Allies Tortured Kids In Iraqi Prisons
Saturday, November 8th, 2008 by RLR

From True Blue Liberal
By Sherwood Ross

Since it invaded Iraq in 2003, the U.S. has detained thousands of juveniles—some of whom were tortured and sexually abused, according to published reports. Figures of the number of children behind bars vary. Some estimates put the number as high as 6,000.

While the criminal abuse of male prisoners at Abu Ghraib is well known, child and women prisoners held there have also been tortured and raped, according to Neil Mackay of Glasgow’s “Sunday Herald.” Abu Ghraib prison is located about 20 miles west of Baghdad.

Iraqi lawyer Sahar Yasiri, representing the Federation of Prisoners and Political Prisoners, said in a published interview there are more than 400,000 detainees in Iraq being held in 36 prisons and camps and that 95 percent of the 10,000 women among them have been raped. Children, he said, “suffer from torture, rape, (and) starvation” and do not know why they have been arrested. He added the children have been victims of “random” arrests “not based on any legal text.”

Former prisoner Thaar Salman Dawod in a witness statement said, “(I saw) two boys naked and they were cuffed together face to face and (a US soldier) was beating them and a group of guards were watching and taking pictures and there was three female soldiers laughing at the prisoners.”

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http://www.trueblueliberal.com/2008/11/08/us-and-allies-tortured-kids-in-iraqi-prisons/

[louis-t]

1. I have trouble believing it's this bad.

I don't doubt it has happened, but I question the numbers.

[baby_mouse]

4. What are you using as a basis for that judgement?

[louis-t]

5. I find it hard to believe that our military could have

such a lack of oversight and discipline. I find it hard to believe that of all the people who had access to those 'prisoners' not one came forward and protested. 90% of women 'prisoners' raped? How could our military possibly let this happen?

[baby_mouse]

6. Have you considered the possibility

That significant numbers of people higher up the chain of command actually encouraged it? Ceratinly that's been the story in the past whenever these posts have come up.

I agree it seems awful, but I'm wary of making assumptions about what's happened based, essentially, on what I would *prefer* to be the truth.

[louis-t]

8. These days, unfortunately, we have to take news reports witha grain

of salt. I see one eyewitness and an attorney. I'll talk to you again when the war crimes trials start. Soon, I hope.

[baby_mouse]

13. Okidoke.

:thumbsup:

[Usrename]

15. I don't think the German people accepted anything until the trials.

It's hard to accept what we've become, but we have the benefit of history by which to see things. This kind of brutality is not new.

Our first despot has had his reign of terror. It actually happened. An honest person would never deny it or even question what we've done.

[JohnyCanuck]

2. Way to go US Army. You must be so fucking proud of yourself.

German TV reporter Thomas Reutter of “Report Mainz” quoted U.S. Army Sgt. Samuel Provance that interrogation specialists “poured water” over one 16-year-old Iraqi boy, drove him throughout a cold night, “smeared him with mud” and then showed him to his father, who was also in custody. Apparently, one tactic employed by the Bush regime is to elicit confessions from adults by dragging their abused children in front of them.

The Los Angeles Times as far back as August 26, 2004, reported U.S. military police at Abu Ghraib “used Army dogs to play a bizarre game in which they scared teenage detainees into defecating and urinating on themselves.”

And reporter Hersh told the American Civil Liberties Union convention he has seen videotapes of Iraqi boys that were sodomized, “and the worst part is the soundtrack of the boys shrieking.”

http://www.trueblueliberal.com/2008/11/08/us-and-allies-tortured-kids-in-iraqi-prisons/

With any luck, one day these sick, psycho bastards will find themsleves on trial for war crimes.

[amdezurik]

3. more likely they will be hired by your local police

feel safer now?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

9. Why hasn't Sy Hersh released this stuff??

Sy Hersh said he was going to release this stuff years ago.

[charlie]

11. He doesn't have them

His charge was that the gov't has them and he's seen them.

An uglier question is why Congress hasn't forced their release? After Abu Ghraib broke, there were videotape screenings held for Congressmen several times a day, over several days, so they all could get a chance to see them. The reactions of those who attended were alarming, they were shaken and sickened, saying it was worse than we know.

[magellan]

7. This is one thing for which I'll NEVER forgive BushCo, the GOP

...the people who enabled and/or voted for them (including the likes of Pelosi), and anyone who doesn't think we need to hunt down and expose all these war criminals, from the top down, to the concept of justice.

It really doesn't matter how many times the torture and abuse happened. We know for a fact it was a systemic program that was approved by Bush**.

Now that the Dems have their majority, they're going to have to get serious on this issue if they hope to gain my vote ever again.

[Egnever]

10. Its going to be pretty sickening the next few months

As all of this horror comes out into the open.

[baby_mouse]

12. Yes, I think you're right.

There's going to be a bit of a tidal wave of nastiness sliding out the recently lanced boil that was the Bush administration...

[pleah]

14. K&R

:(