arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

Op de website van Amnesty International lezen we dat de organisatie een campagne wil starten naar aanleiding van recent bewijsmateriaal van marteling en de slechte behandeling door de Coalitie-legers in de Iraakse gevangenissen. "Urge the US and UK authorities to support a thorough, independent and public investigation; to hold accountable all who have committed acts of torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and also those who have contributed to a command culture that condones such abuses; and to ensure that all Coalition Forces know that such violations will not be tolerated."

Actie nu! Stuur je verzoek om een onhankelijk onderzoek naar de oorlogsmisdaden naar de Amerikaanse en Britse overheid. Gebruik hieronderstaand voorbeeld:

"Dear

I am deeply concerned by recent evidence of torture and ill-treatment emerging from Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Research by Amnesty International suggests that this is not an isolated incident and that these reported violations have exacerbated an already fragile situation in Iraq. Amnesty International has interviewed former detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan who have reported being subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment during interrogation and detention, and has repeatedly brought this information to the attention of your government.

I urge you to support an independent investigation into all allegations of torture and ill-treatment and public disclosure of the findings, and to cooperate with the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights and others as they gather information on these abuses. Such investigations should not just cover the direct perpetrators, but must include the higher chain of command responsibility.

The use of techniques amounting to torture or ill-treatment during interrogations must stop now. These include such techniques as holding detainees naked, making them assume painful positions, sleep deprivation, exposure to extreme cold, and hooding. The use of incommunicado detention must also be ended, with all detainees given immediate access to families and lawyers, and regular access to detention facilities given to the ICRC and human rights organizations.

The torture and ill-treatment of Iraqis violates the US and UK's obligations under domestic and international law. Addressing these incidents must be a priority if the Iraqi people are to live free of brutal and degrading practices. For Iraq to have a sustainable and peaceful future, human rights must be a central component of the way forward.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,"

U kan dit sturen naar:

* The Honorable Donald Rumsfeld
Secretary of Defense
Office of the Secretary
The Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301, USA
Fax: +1 703 697 8339
E-mail: public@defenselink.mil
Salutation: Dear Secretary of Defense

* Rt Hon Geoffrey Hoon MP
Secretary of State
Ministry of Defence
Old War Office Building
Whitehall
London SW1A 2E
UK

Als je een email verstuurt, vergeet dan niet een kopij te sturen naar Amnesty International: cc.appeals@amnesty.org.

Zie ook:

Amnesty International: USA: Pattern of brutality and cruelty - war crimes at Abu Ghraib
http://news.amnesty.org/mav/index/ENGAMR510772004

Amnesty International: Iraq: The crisis continues: news.amnesty press kit
http://news.amnesty.org/mav/pages/iraq_press

Human Rights Watch: Iraq: Background on U.S. Detention Facilities in Iraq
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/05/07/iraq8560.htm

An independant report ? What for ? We know everything : pictures and comments from soldiers are published all over the world on the Internet. What we need is justice and trials for GW Bush anh those who control him, not another "independant report".

The Red Cross is going to publish a report about atrocities done by us soldiers in Irak. But it appears that this report is MONTHS old. The Red Cross is FORCED to publish it because, thanks to the Internet, everybody already knows about these atrocities.

We don't need "independant" NGO's, we need freedom of speech for everybody.

http://archive.indymedia.be/news/2004/05/84539.php