VIDEO – Iraqis Fear More Torture After Abu Ghraib Closure

Guest blogged by David Edwards of Veredictum.com


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Last week the U.S. military announced plans to handover control of the infamous Abu Ghraib prison to Iraqi authorities.

Chris Floyd points out that the Pentagon quietly retracted the idea that Abu Ghraib would be closed in the near future. The following statement was released by the Pentagon:

“The United States always has planned to transfer authority for all detention facilities in Iraq to the Iraqis, but announcements regarding the imminent closure at the Abu Ghraib prison are premature, defense officials said today. News reports that the U.S. military intends to close Abu Ghraib within the next few months and to transfer its prisoners to other jails are inaccurate, officials said.

“There’s no specific timetable for that transfer or for closure of the Baghdad prison, they said. Decisions regarding Abu Ghraib and other detention facilities in Iraq will be based largely on two factors: the readiness of Iraq’s security forces to assume control of them and infrastructure improvements at the facilities…”

Regardless of when (or if) the U.S. closes Abu Ghraib, NGO’s and Iraqi citizens agree that prisoners will continue to be abused in other facilities throughout Iraq. According to Khalid Rabia’a, spokesman for the Baghdad-based Prisoners’ Association for Justice (PAJ):

Torture has been practiced by the US as well as by Iraqi military officials,

The handover of Abu Ghraib won’t stop the suffering and human rights abuses.

The video in this post is a news report by the independent Arab News Network (ANN) broadcasting out of London, England. In the video, several Iraqis share their thoughts on the closing of Abu Ghraib and the continuing prisoner abuse in Iraq.

8 Responses

  1. When the news about abuses at Abu Ghraib broke, my first reaction was, "We’ve lost this war."

    After the news settled in, a worse realization settled in. That is that we, we Americans, and our country, our children, are damned. The universe does not let such horrific acts go unavenged.

    The only hope we have is that by bringing to trial and punishment those who promulgated torture–Miller and Yoo and Gonzalez and Cheney, etc–our nation itself will be spared the retribution that is coming, one way or another. If we fail to do so, reality will wreak justice on all of us.

  2. Looks like these guys are off to a good start.

    "On the political front, Iraq’s new Parliament held its first session on Thursday, as the first permanent elected legislature since the U.S. invasion, which began three years ago this coming Monday.

    The lawmakers immediately adjourned, however, after taking their oaths of office, since the deep-seated sectarian disputes have all but paralyzed efforts to name a prime minister and Cabinet. The U.S. ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, has been trying to broker talks to establish a government embracing major factions in a way acceptable to Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish blocs in Parliament."

    From the AP

  3. #1 True. This administration has not been repentant or sorry. Instead of going after the masterminds, we jail a few low level security guards. What kind of men send a 19 year old girl into that kind of environment without adequate training and support? Men who hid behind their Mommy’s skirts and Daddy’s connections instead of going to war themselves. Now they let a teenaged girl be the scapegoat for their dishonorable deeds.

    God is watching. The universe is out of balance. If you believe in God or karma or just "tit for tat" you can feel it.

  4. Jo #2

    After a 9 trillion dollar debt ceiling, hundreds of billions in war costs, tens of thousands of lives lost, cities and towns destroyed, and tons of propaganda, we come to this:

    "Iraq’s new Parliament held its first session on Thursday … The lawmakers immediately adjourned, however, after taking their oaths of office, since the deep-seated sectarian disputes have all but paralyzed efforts to name a prime minister and Cabinet".

    Meanwhile "we can’t loose" and "we can’t win" are both flying around the air waves.

    The republicans should give it up and admit that they can’t govern. All they can do well is campaign.

  5. The Warmongers are such morons (or not?)
    If you run the whole scenario through in you mind,
    what ending do you come up with?
    There are only two options that show up in the black and white viewpoint (which the Neo-cons are famed for)
    The first is to be greeted with flowers
    The second is Civil War
    Why didn’t they look into this further, you say?

    The former is bullshit, easy to pump across the airwaves

    I think it was the latter, because this was about the greenbacks slide, oil and war profiteering by destabilizing the region, easier to walk off with the loot that way, and hold on to power here at home

    The neo-cons do not give one shit about Freedom
    All they care about is pocket linings
    They are nothing but Pirates

    Like unirealist said, Karma will bite us in the ass in the end

  7. Can these a-holes ever get anything right? First, We are closing Abu Ghraib, then oh no wait we’re just going to hand it over to the Iraqi’s. You think they could get this story straight before they release it to the media. Just one more shining example of the incompetence of this whole administration. More like Premature ejaculators then anything else. I wish they’d get their heads out of their asses. I feel so sorry for the Iraqi People,We have never been liberators to them, just oppressors. Get out this week end you guys,there are protests all over the country against the war. I’m in the midwest and I am definitely getting my ass out on the street! Impeach this whole administration, they suck!