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Detainees held by USA at risk if transferred to Iraqi custody

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:32:19 +0000

The agreement signed between the US President and the Prime Minister of Iraq on 14 December 2008 opens the way for the transfer of thousands of detainees from US to Iraqi custody.

The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which came into force on 31 December 2008, was ratified by the Iraqi parliament on 27 November 2008 after months of negotiations.

It paves the way, among other things, for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq by the end of 2011.

According to recent information, the US military will start transferring detainees to the Iraqi authorities on 1 February 2009. Amnesty International is concerned that the SOFA does not provide any safeguards for prisoners transferred to Iraqi custody.

US forces are currently holding about 15,500 detainees in Iraq in three major detention facilities, the largest of these being Camp Bucca, in southern Iraq, near the Kuwaiti border. Most are held without charge or trial, with some having been held for more than five years.

The detainees include former Ba’ath Party, security and military officials who could be at particular risk.They include ‘Ali Hassan al-Majeed, Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Ta’i, Hussain Rashid al-Tikriti and ‘Abdul Ghani ‘Abdul Ghafour, all sentenced to death for crimes including genocide and crimes against humanity. They are likely to be executed if handed over to the Iraqi authorities.

The Iraqi authorities are already holding thousands of people, many without charge or trial and often in appalling conditions and with no access to lawyers. Death sentences have been passed after trials which failed to meet international fair trial standards. Political and security suspects are routinely tortured or ill-treated in prisons and detention facilities controlled by the Iraqi authorities.

Picture: ©APGraphicsBank

Show real leadership in human rights

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:18:11 +0000

The attacks in the USA on 11 September 2001 were a crime against humanity. Since then, the USA has committed grave human rights violations in the name of countering terrorism.

Suspects have been abducted and covertly transported to secret US-run facilities or transferred to the custody of other governments where they have faced torture.

Individuals have been victims of enforced disappearance. Some remain unaccounted for.

Hundreds of people have been unlawfully detained in conditions that have amounted to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment at the Guantánamo Bay detention facility.

US officials have effectively admitted that the USA has used torture and other ill-treatment and have reserved the right to do so again.

The response of the US government to the public exposure of these human rights violations has been plainly inadequate, and at worst it has amounted to helping perpetrators go unpunished for crimes under international law.

President-elect Barack Obama must take immediate steps after taking office to end this assault on human rights.

Make human rights in Tunisia a reality

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:25:31 +0000

A harsh and disturbing reality lies behind the image of Tunisia as a holiday paradise and human rights beacon that the government has sought to paint. In truth, it is a country where violations by security forces are rampant and go unpunished.

Saber Ragoubi was tried unfairly and sentenced to death in December 2007, largely on the basis of information obtained from him and other co-defendants under torture. At his trial, he said: “I was assaulted in Mornaguia prison and lost three of my front teeth; I request an investigation into the assault. I was also stripped naked to force me to shave my beard.” Read more about his case

Houssine Tarkhani was forcibly returned from France to Tunisia and was detained on arrival in June 2007. He has been charged with terrorist offences and is awaiting trial. When he was able to speak to his lawyer in 2007, he said: “I was beaten with a stick all over my body, given electric shocks and threatened with death. When I asked to read the police report, which I had been forced to sign without reading, I was subjected to further beatings. Read more about his case

The Tunisian government’s security and counter-terrorism policies and practices are leading to serious human rights violations, despite legal reforms that theoretically offer better protection.

Call on the Tunisian government to live up to the promises it has made on paper to respect human rights.

You can do something to improve the human rights situation in Tunisia by taking action on behalf of Saber Ragoubi and Houssine Tarkhani. Send a letter or a fax to the Tunisian authorities using the model letters attached and demand justice for them.