Government calls US human rights report unfair

Iraqi officials have called a US report detailing human rights abuses in Iraq an unfair assessment of the issue, saying the report’s authors should also take into account abuses perpetrated by the US military. “The US government accused our security forces of mistreatment, torture and aggression against the Iraqi population,” said Hussam Abdul-Kader, a senior official in the Ministry of Interior. “But it forgot to mention in its report the ongoing violence that they have promoted in Iraq since their invasion, including the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison.” The report, released on Wednesday, has been published annually by the US State Department since 1977, devoted to detailing alleged human rights abuses worldwide. On the situation within the US itself, however, the report merely noted: “The United States’ own journey toward liberty and justice for all has been long and difficult, and it is still far from complete. Yet over time our independent branches of government, our free media, our openness to the world, and, most importantly, the civic courage of impatient American patriots help us keep faith with our founding ideals and our international human rights obligations.” The report’s treatment of Iraq, by contrast, alleged numerous human rights abuses, ranging from torture to random killings, for which the report largely blamed the Iraqi police and military. Police abuses included arbitrary arrests, threats, and beatings, as well as the reported use of electric drills and electric shocks for purposes of torture, the report said. "Additionally, the misappropriation of official authority by groups – paramilitary, sectarian, criminal, terrorist and insurgent – resulted in numerous and severe crimes and abuses," the report states. In mid-November, 173 detainees were found by US troops at an interior ministry building in the capital, Baghdad, bearing signs of torture, malnutrition and mistreatment. Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafaari ordered an investigation at the time, but no official findings have been released to date. Iraqi officials, however, maintain that such episodes of abuse represent isolated incidents. The report went on to outline 16 human rights problems, including the “pervasive climate of violence, disappearances, large numbers of internally displaced persons, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”. The document also notes the reported increase in killings carried out by the Iraqi government or its agents, noting that police forces are thought to be thoroughly infiltrated by sectarian elements. Iraqi government officials responded to the report by pointing to the critical role of the US in maintaining security. “Security in Iraq is under our command, together with the US military. Any accusation against our military or police is also an accusation against them,” said Abdul-Kader. “They [the US] are always saying that they’re working with us, but when they speak about bad things, they never consider themselves.” Both US and UK forces in Iraq have been accused of abuses. In April 2004, a series of photographs showing inmates being abused by US soldiers in Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison led to worldwide condemnation and the prosecution of the soldiers involved. In February, fresh images of abuse emerged from the notorious prison, revealing the apparent killing, torture and humiliation of prisoners. “The report reflects what we have been trying to stop in Iraq,” said Hamam Ali, a senior official at the Ministry of Human Rights. “But the US government also has to consider the accusations of barbarity against those involved in Abu Ghraib.” The British military has also been criticised following the release this month of video footage showing UK soldiers savagely beating four young Iraqi civilians in southern Iraq in 2004. Four soldiers have been arrested in connection with the incident so far. Both foreign militaries currently share control of the national prison system, with US forces retaining command of Abu Ghraib and an airport detention camp in Baghdad, while British forces have been mandated to run the Um Qasr prison in southern Iraq.