Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
By Irwin Arieff
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The U.S.-led military force in
Iraq is detaining people faster than a new board can review their cases to
determine whether their rights are being respected, the United Nations
reported on Monday.
The multinational force continues to hold far more prisoners than
the Iraqi government, and most are individuals picked up in mass arrests and
detained for "imperative reasons of security," the world body said.
"While progress in reviewing cases led to the release of hundreds,
the overall number of detainees continued to increase due to mass arrests
carried out during security and military operations," the U.N. mission said
in its latest progress report on human rights, covering the period Sept.
1-Oct. 31.
"There is an urgent need to provide remedy to lengthy internment for
reasons of security without adequate judicial oversight," it said.
The number of detainees now held by the multinational force has
climbed to 13,514, according to the latest Pentagon figures, up from about
6,000 in June and 9,600 in September.
That is far more than the 7,577 in the custody of Iraq's Justice
Ministry, the 3,916 held by its Interior Ministry and the 342 juveniles in
the hands of its Labor and Social Affairs Ministry as of Oct. 26, according
to Iraqi figures.
The United Nations has repeatedly expressed concern about the large
number of detainees being held in Iraq without apparent due process,
alleging that thousands were being held for extended periods without charges
or even preliminary reviews to determine whether charges were ultimately
likely.
The U.S. military insists Iraqi detainees are having their cases
promptly reviewed, whether though referral to an Iraqi court or through the
new prisoner review board.
The board, composed of both Iraqi and U.S. officials, was set up in
August 2004 to speed the review of individual cases.
But the U.N. report said its standards violated both Iraqi and
international laws governing the treatment of civilians.
And while the board is reviewing 200 to 250 cases a week, "resulting
in some releases," the overall number of detainees is still climbing due to
more mass arrests, it said.
The multinational force is able to detain Iraqis under an exception
to the Geneva Conventions -- which govern the treatment of civilians in
wartime -- granted by the 15-nation U.N. Security Council in June 2004. The
council last week voted unanimously to extend the exception through the end
of 2006.
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The U.S.-led military force in
Iraq is detaining people faster than a new board can review their cases to
determine whether their rights are being respected, the United Nations
reported on Monday.
The multinational force continues to hold far more prisoners than
the Iraqi government, and most are individuals picked up in mass arrests and
detained for "imperative reasons of security," the world body said.
"While progress in reviewing cases led to the release of hundreds,
the overall number of detainees continued to increase due to mass arrests
carried out during security and military operations," the U.N. mission said
in its latest progress report on human rights, covering the period Sept.
1-Oct. 31.
"There is an urgent need to provide remedy to lengthy internment for
reasons of security without adequate judicial oversight," it said.
The number of detainees now held by the multinational force has
climbed to 13,514, according to the latest Pentagon figures, up from about
6,000 in June and 9,600 in September.
That is far more than the 7,577 in the custody of Iraq's Justice
Ministry, the 3,916 held by its Interior Ministry and the 342 juveniles in
the hands of its Labor and Social Affairs Ministry as of Oct. 26, according
to Iraqi figures.
The United Nations has repeatedly expressed concern about the large
number of detainees being held in Iraq without apparent due process,
alleging that thousands were being held for extended periods without charges
or even preliminary reviews to determine whether charges were ultimately
likely.
The U.S. military insists Iraqi detainees are having their cases
promptly reviewed, whether though referral to an Iraqi court or through the
new prisoner review board.
The board, composed of both Iraqi and U.S. officials, was set up in
August 2004 to speed the review of individual cases.
But the U.N. report said its standards violated both Iraqi and
international laws governing the treatment of civilians.
And while the board is reviewing 200 to 250 cases a week, "resulting
in some releases," the overall number of detainees is still climbing due to
more mass arrests, it said.
The multinational force is able to detain Iraqis under an exception
to the Geneva Conventions -- which govern the treatment of civilians in
wartime -- granted by the 15-nation U.N. Security Council in June 2004. The
council last week voted unanimously to extend the exception through the end
of 2006.