HRW concerned over treatment of suspects

The US government has been called on to investigate allegations of torture on Al-Qaeda suspects and, in particular those being held at an army base in Afghanistan. "Our main concern is that torture is being committed and we need to restate the law," the legal and policy director for Human Rights Watch (HRW), Wilder Taylor, told IRIN, from London on Friday. "At the same time, we want President Bush to issue an order down to the chain of command saying that torture will not be tolerated." The watchdog group sent a letter to US President George W. Bush, saying it was "deeply concerned" by allegations made in The Washington Post, which had claimed that detainees were being subjected to torture or other forms of mistreatment while in US custody in Afghanistan or while held by US allies. The article, entitled "US Decries Abuse, but Defends Interrogations," claimed that suspects being held at a CIA interrogation centre at Bagram airbase, in the central Afghan province of Kabul, were being subjected to "stress and duress" methods of interrogation, which include "standing or kneeling for hours" and being held in "awkward and painful positions", a statement issued by HRW on Friday said. Asked how reliable The Washington Post article was, Taylor replied: "We believe that The Washington Post investigations are very serious." He explained that the HRW was requesting permission to visit the interrogation unit at Bagram. "Even more worrying is that the article says there are other secret detention centres," he added. "Torture is always prohibited under any circumstances," the statement quoted Kenneth Roth, the HRW executive director, as saying. "US officials who take part in torture, authorise it, or even close their eyes to it, can be prosecuted by courts anywhere in the world." "The Convention against Torture, which the United States has ratified, specifically prohibits torture and mistreatment, as well as sending detainees to countries where such practices are likely to occur. That would include, according to the US State Department's own annual human rights report, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Jordan and Morocco, where detainees have reportedly been sent," the statement said. HRW urged Bush to issue a presidential statement to the effect that it is contrary to US policy to use or facilitate torture in any circumstances. Officials at the US embassy in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, told IRIN that there would be some reaction to the statement from Washington.