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Revision as of 23:27, 30 April 2004
Abu Ghraib is a notorious prison in Iraq, on the outskirts of Baghdad. Under Saddam Hussein, it was said to have been one of the most brutal prisons, with extreme torture and executions being common.
The prison gained international notoriety when, during the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq, in April 2004, U.S. television network CBS broadcast an edition of its 60 Minutes news-magazine that reported abuse and humiliation of inmates by a small group of US soldiers. The report was delayed by two weeks at the request of the Department of Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers, because of heavy fighting in Iraq. Shortly afterwards, similar reports of torture by a small group of British soldiers emerged.
The prison commander has been replaced with Major-General Geoffrey Miller, who previously supervised the controversial Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
The pictures are believed to have been taken in November or December 2003, and were subject of a United States army investigation of the incident.
The pictures show the prisoners naked, being forced to engage in oral sex, and being threatened with electrocution. There is also a photo of a prisoner who appears to be dead. Aside from the published photographs, according to CBS, the Army has many more of these photos, including one that shows a dog attacking a prisoner. One detainee has also made charges of rape under supervision of the soldiers. All of the alleged acts clearly violate the Third Geneva Convention regarding treatment of POWs.
President Bush decried the acts and contended that they were in no way indicative of normal or acceptable practices in the United States Army. Seventeen soldiers in Iraq, including a brigadier general, have been removed from duty after charges of mistreating prisoners. Six soldiers face courts-martial and possible prison time as a result of their roles in the events. Sir Michael Jackson, chief of the UK general staff, said similarly, "if proven, the perpetrators are not fit to wear the Queen's uniform and they have besmirched the Army's good name and conduct."
Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, deputy director of coalition operations in Iraq, said: "I'd like to sit here and say that these are the only prisoner abuse cases that we're aware of, but we know that there have been some other ones since we've been here in Iraq."
Photos from Abu Ghraib prison
These photos were taken by US soldiers while they abused and humiliated prisoners (click any image to view a larger version).
See also
External links
- Abuse of Iraqi POWs by GIs probed. CBS, 60 Minutes report, April 29, 2004.
- Guantanamo on steroids. Report by Jen Banbury, Salon.com, March 3, 2004. Describes the situation at Abu Ghraib under US control before the abuse became publicly known.
- Sources for images at The Memory Hole
- UK troops in Iraqi torture probe