Japan To U.S, - Stop the torture and abuse

[Guest guest]

n

Fri, 27 May 2005 04:23:05 -0000

Japan To U.S, - Stop the torture and abuse

 

 

 

The Japan Times: May 25, 2005

EDITORIAL

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/geted.pl5?ed20050525a1.htm

 

Stop the torture and abuse

 

The steady drip of revelations about the abuse of prisoners in the

global war against terror is doing serious damage to the U.S. image

and efforts to win that battle. Contrary to official claims, the

instances of misbehavior are not episodic or exaggerated; they appear

to be serious, widespread and systematic. The United States must move

quickly to remedy this ugly and disturbing situation. A credible and

public assessment of the abuse must occur and all those responsible --

not just the soldiers at the bottom of the chain of command --

punished. An unequivocal condemnation of the worst techniques should

come from the highest levels of the U.S. government. Only then will

the United States begin to repair the damage that has been done.

 

There have been sporadic reports of abuse of prisoners since the U.S.

went on the offensive against terrorists in the aftermath of Sept. 11,

2001. The notorious photographs from Abu Ghraib prison are the most

infamous, but it is now known that abuse has occurred at most major

facilities in Iraq, Afghanistan and at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where

many alleged terrorists are held. The U.S. has responded to the

allegations by saying torture or abuse was merely the isolated acts of

" bad apples. "

 

Recently, The New York Times has reported on a U.S. Army file that

details widespread abuse in Afghanistan. According to the paper, " The

file depicts young, poorly trained soldiers in repeated incidents of

abuse. " In some cases, the abuse " was directed or carried out by

interrogators to extract information. " At least eight Afghans have

died in U.S. custody. Two deaths were highlighted in the army file,

but it also includes reports of torture, beatings and humiliation.

Other documents obtained and released by the American Civil Liberties

Union show that such abuse occurs throughout U.S. detention facilities

worldwide.

 

The revelations are doing real damage, even among supporters of the

U.S. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said he was shocked by the

information and has demanded action against the perpetrators and the

handing over of all Afghan prisoners in U.S. custody. These are strong

words from the man who depends on the U.S. for his -- and his

government's -- survival. In response, Mr. Bush has said that all

those responsible would be punished.

 

The reports about abuse in Afghanistan follow controversy over

Newsweek magazine's report that U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay

had desecrated a Quran by throwing it into a toilet. That news set off

riots throughout South Asia, which resulted in at least 14 deaths in

Afghanistan. Last week, thousands of hardline Muslims in Indonesia

protested the report of the desecration, shouting " destroy America and

its allies " and " Kill those who desecrate Islam. "

 

Newsweek has since retracted the allegation, because its source could

not remember in which document it saw the charge. The U.S.

administration has gone on the offensive since, demanding an apology

and arguing that the report caused the unrest and blackened the U.S.

image.

 

While the mistake raises serious questions about journalists' use of

unnamed sources, to blame the media for the violence is disingenuous.

There have been multiple allegations of desecration of the Quran, yet

Pentagon officials concede that there was no thorough study of the

allegations before the Newsweek report. Moreover, every report of

prisoner abuse in U.S. custody -- and indeed the very policies that

the U.S. uses to get information from prisoners -- has included

techniques that seem designed to inflame Muslim sensitivities. The

abuse is too widespread and too close to sophisticated behavior

designed to inflict psychological damage for it to be the work of a

few " bad apples. "

 

To their credit, some senior U.S. officials have acknowledged that the

roots of the violence go much deeper than a newsweekly's report. Other

officials, including President Bush, promised to punish offenders. But

the gap between the U.S. rhetoric and its demand for accountability

grows wider.

 

The army has identified 27 soldiers that could be tried on criminal

charges for the two deaths highlighted in Afghanistan; only seven have

been charged, four just last week. It is the U.S. government's failure

to take action that has triggered the leaks of reports and the steady

stream of revelations to the news media by individuals working within

the system.

 

They understand what their superiors apparently do not: Torture, abuse

and humiliation of suspects in U.S. custody do great damage to the

institutions that permit or condone these crimes and the country for

which they work. The revulsion against these acts is proof of the deep

emotional chord that has been struck. Success in the fight against

terror requires that the U.S. win allies among the Muslims whose

resentment and anger have provided the cannon fodder for this battle.

Instead, the U.S. seems intent on fanning the flames.

 

The Japan Times: May 25, 2005

© All rights reserved