Pentagon memos portray assaults: A wider range of Iraqi detainee abuses by American soldiers across the Iraq war zone is chronicled in Pentagon records obtained by The Denver Post, from electric shocks to threats of execution using gun play.

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~11676~2171751,00.html


From Information Clearing House

May 26, 2004


In his speech before the U.S. Army War College this week, President Bush again tried to absolve himself and his Administration from any responsibility for the atrocities at Abu Ghraib prison. He said the abuse was "disgraceful conduct by a few American troops who dishonored our country and disregarded our values" 1. But new reports show that the Administration - and President Bush himself - approved key documents that originally opened the door to the abuse.

Since the scandal broke, the Administration has said that, in Iraq, it always insisted on following the Geneva Conventions on humane treatment for prisoners. However, in a letter to the Red Cross dated December 24, 2003, the Bush Administration asserted that detainees in Iraq "were not entitled to the full protections of the Geneva Convention" 2. This disregard for internationally-recognized human rights regulations was consistent with a January 2002 directive by the White House labeling the Geneva Conventions "quaint" and "obsolete" 3. It is also consistent with a Newsweek report showing that "President Bush, along with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Attorney General John Ashcroft signed off on a secret system of detention and interrogation that opened the door to such methods" of abuse and torture as documented at Abu Ghraib 4. Those secret orders were designed "to sidestep the historical safeguards of the Geneva Conventions."

Instead of acknowledging these documents and upholding his pledge to "usher in an era of personal responsibility,"5 the Bush Administration is now assaulting those who brought the story to light. Sgt. Samuel Provance told the Associated Press he has "been disciplined by the military and stripped of his security clearance" after he publicly refuted the President's claims that the abuse was only the work of a few soldiers6. Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld banned "digital cameras, camcorders and cellphones with cameras" from all military installations in Iraq7. And, as MSNBC reports, the whole Administration is "lashing out at American journalists, adding their official voices to the chorus of talk radio, conservative Web site and newspaper columnists" who claim the media's coverage of the scandal and Iraq in general "is undermining support for the war"8.

Sources:

1. President Outlines Steps to Help Iraq Achieve Democracy and Freedom, 05/24/2004.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/05/20040524-10.html
2. "Commander in Iraq to Be Replaced", Los Angeles Times, 05/25/2004.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-052504sanchez_lat,1,4517735.story?coll=la-home-headlines
3. "White House memo criticized", USA Today, 05/26/2004.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-05-25-memo_x.htm
4. "The Roots of Torture", Newsweek, May 24, 2004.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4989422/
5. President Bush Discusses Progress in Education in St. Louis, 01/05/2004.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040105-2.html
6. "Soldier Who Spoke Out About Prisoner Abuse Disciplined", WXII12.com, 05/26/2004.
http://www.wxii12.com/news/3347636/detail.html
7. "Rumsfeld Bans Camera Phones in Iraq: Report", Agence France Presse, 05/23/2004.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0523-06.htm
8. "Media takes heat from administration over Iraq", MSNBC, 05/25/2004.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5023564/


Source: http://www.misleader.org/daily_mislead/Read.asp?fn=df05262004.html

Blogstats.de

http://www.blogstats.de/index.php?url=abu+ghraib&offset=20&order=date

http://www.bhhrg.org/LatestNews.asp?ArticleID=35


Informant: kevcross5

Genfer Konvention über die Behandlung Kriegsgefangener
Aus der IV. Genfer Konvention "Genfer Abkommen über den Schutz der Zivilpersonen in Kriegszeiten" vom 12.8.1949, Artikel 3:

Im Falle eines bewaffneten Konflikts, der keinen internationalen Charakter aufweist und der auf dem Gebiet einer der Hohen Vertragsparteien entsteht, ist jede der am Konflikt beteiligten Parteien gehalten, wenigstens die folgenden Bestimmungen anzuwenden:

1. Personen, die nicht direkt an den Feindseligkeiten teilnehmen, einschließlich der Mitglieder der bewaffneten Streitkräfte, welche die Waffen gestreckt haben, und der Personen, die infolge Krankheit, Verwundung, Gefangennahme oder irgendeiner anderen Ursache außer Kampf gesetzt wurden, sollen unter allen Umständen mit Menschlichkeit behandelt werden, ohne jede Benachteiligung aus Gründen der Rasse, der Farbe, der Religion oder des Glaubens, des Geschlechts, der Geburt oder des Vermögens oder aus irgendeinem ähnlichen Grunde.

Zu diesem Zwecke sind und bleiben in Bezug auf die oben erwähnten Personen jederzeit und jedenorts verboten:

a) Angriffe auf Leib und Leben, namentlich Mord jeglicher Art, Verstümmelung, grausame Behandlung und Folterung;

b) die Gefangennahme von Geiseln;

c) Beeinträchtigung der persönlichen Würde, namentlich erniedrigende und entwürdigende Behandlung;

d) Verurteilungen und Hinrichtungen ohne vorhergehendes Urteil eines ordnungsmäßig bestellten Gerichtes, das die von den zivilisierten Völkern als unerläßlich anerkannten Rechtsgarantien bietet.

http://www.solidaritaet.com/neuesol/2004/22/genf.htm

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?g=events/ts/042904iraqprison&i=index&e=1&tmpl=sl&nosum=0&large=0&t=1085455988",750,580);


Informant: vInCe-BrAdLeY

Historically, penology has been intertwined with modernity. It was central to the ideological debates started by the European Enlightenment. It was -- and remains -- on the battle lines of separation between discriminatory ideologies and egalitarian principles. It bears on the important issues of social control, social reform, political repression, and the use of discretionary power. The systematic and excessive maltreatment of mostly innocent people by the American occupiers in Iraq must be situated in such a broad socio-historical context....

http://www.dissidentvoice.org/May2004/Vorasangian0524.htm

Krieg und Profit gehörten schon immer zusammen. Kein Wunder, dass jetzt - nach weltweiter Kritik an den Folterungen im Irak - US-Bosse um den guten Ruf der US-Wirtschaft fürchten.

http://www.sonnenseite.com/fp/archiv/Akt-News/4804.php

Nicht nur die Soldaten an der vordersten Quälfront oder Politiker und
hohe Militärs sind für die Misshandlungen der Gefangenen im Irak und
anderswo verantwortlich...

Weiter unter:
http://www.telepolis.de/tp/deutsch/inhalt/co/17488/1.html

Who is Guilty of Prison Torture?
by
Dale Allen Pfeiffer

Certainly the United States possesses formidable economic and military power. But the rhetoric of "sole surviving superpower" is inflated and a bit desperate. Our military is overextended and poorly run. The hard power of its amazing machinery is used to squander the soft power of our global prestige - we shoot civilians and they hate us. We attack only the most defenseless opponents and have little tolerance for casualties...

read further under:
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/052404_daf_prison.html

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Abu Ghraib Means Impunity
http://www.pinr.com/report.php?ac=view_report&report_id=171&language_id=1

Informant: tworevs

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Continuing the Cover-Up?

Military Takes Action Against Key Witness in Abu Ghraib Abuse Scandal

By Brian Ross and Alexandra Salomon

May 21, 2004 — A witness who told ABCNEWS he believed the military was covering up the extent of abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison was today stripped of his security clearance and told he may face prosecution because his comments were "not in the national interest."

Read further under:
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/WNT/Investigation/abu_ghraib_cover_up_040521-1.html


Informant: Michael Novick

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What have we done?

The horrific images from Abu Ghraib have come to define the ill-starred occupation of Iraq, but what do they really tell us about America? Are they simply the work of a few rogue soldiers, or the result of the new foreign and domestic policies of the Bush administration, which find ready approval in an increasingly brutalised society? Susan Sontag on the ugly face of the war on terror...read under:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1223344,00.html


Iraqi Prisoner Abuse Reflects America's Hatred
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_1423.shtml

Informant: Walter Lippmann

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US Tries to Get Off the Hook on War Crimes
http://mailhost.groundspring.org/cgi-bin/t.pl?id=83714:740526

New Details of Prison Abuse Emerge
http://mailhost.groundspring.org/cgi-bin/t.pl?id=83721:740526

Sworn Statements by Abu Ghraib Detainees
http://mailhost.groundspring.org/cgi-bin/t.pl?id=83716:740526

New Details of Prison Abuse Emerge
http://mailhost.groundspring.org/cgi-bin/t.pl?id=83721:740526

Soldier: Abu Ghraib Prison Abuse "Normal"
http://mailhost.groundspring.org/cgi-bin/t.pl?id=83724:740526

Shocking Details on Abuse of Reuters Staffers in Iraq
http://mailhost.groundspring.org/cgi-bin/t.pl?id=83725:740526

The Religious Warrior of Abu Ghraib
http://mailhost.groundspring.org/cgi-bin/t.pl?id=83726:740526

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Those Missing Taguba Pages: More Dirty Tricks on the Road
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/May2004/Nimmo0524.htm

Double Standards?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5032094/site/newsweek/

Professor Denounced for POW Memo for Bush
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-4121975,00.html

Top General Witnessed Prison Abuse
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6236.htm

New allegations of systematic abuse of Iraqis by British troops
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=524032

Video From Abu Ghraib Prison
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6223.htm

Videos Amplify Picture of Violence
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6224.htm

Photo Gallery
http://tinyurl.com/29sl7

New Details of Prison Abuse Emerge
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43783-2004May20.html

Sworn Statements by Abu Ghraib Detainees
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6229.htm

New front in Iraq detainee abuse scandal?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5024068/

Trail of blood
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6226.htm

Iraqis lose right to sue troops over war crimes
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6238.htm

How fascism starts
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6227.htm

GI: Boy mistreated to get dad to talk
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6222.htm

A world watches our shame
http://www.duckdaotsu.org/world_watches.html


From Information Clearing House

--------

The word you're looking for is "lies"

by Erica Verrillo,

Letter to the editor, The Boston Globe

May 12, 2004

The Bush administration seems to have a serious problem with reality.

The most recent reality challenge is the policy of torture in both Iraq and Afghanistan, which the administration is frantically redefining as "abuse," "excesses," and "humiliation." We even have Secretary Rumsfeld describing footage of several American soldiers "having sex" with a female Iraqi prisoner.

Let's have a little plain English here. "Having sex" with a prisoner is known as "rape." Systematic beatings are called "torture." Excesses that lead to death are called "murder." The hundreds of women and children in mass graves in Fallujah are the product of a "massacre." Taken together, all of these add up to "atrocities."

The dissemination of "incomplete information" from "imperfect intelligence" is called "lies."

The billions of dollars that Halliburton and Bechtel have reaped in profits are called "war profiteering."

The invasion of Iraq is called "illegal."

The destruction of America's international standing is called "permanent."

And Texaco/Phillips's high bid for Iraqi oil is called "why we are in Iraq."


Log of lies from the Bush Administration

http://www.unknownnews.net/logoflies.html#may04



Informant: vInCe-BrAdLeY

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More Photos Of US Brutality

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/690595.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/690566.cms


Informant: Harry Mobley

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