Amnesty International calls for inquiry into all 'War on Terror' detentions

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June 2004

Amnesty International calls for inquiry into 'War on Terror' detentions
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CAFTA signed with little fanfare; FTAA next?
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Amnesty International calls for inquiry into U.S. 'War on Terror' detentions
Amnesty International is urging Congress to set up an impartial and independent commission of inquiry to thoroughly investigate the "war on terror" detentions by the United States across the globe.

According to AI, the commission should be composed of credible experts independent of government and must have broad-ranging powers to examine the Bush administration's detention policies and practices and ensure accountability at the highest level.

"The problem does not begin or end at Abu Ghraib. The rule of law and promotion of security and human rights demand that daylight be shone onto all the USA's detention policies and practices," said Amnesty International on May 19.

According to AI, evidence of war crimes committed in Abu Ghraib follows persistent claims of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment against detainees during the past two and a half years. The group charged that the United States "continues to violate international law and standards by holding detainees outside the protection of the law in Guantánamo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and secret locations. Its alleged transfer of detainees to face torture in third countries has also been a matter of deep concern throughout this period."

In its call for a congressional investigation into all detention policies, AI said, "The U.S. administration has fostered a climate conducive to torture and cruelty. We have seen a contemptuous approach to international law and standards, the use of incommunicado and secret detention, and repeated dehumanization and labeling of detainees as 'killers' and 'terrorists.'"

The commander of the U.S. forces in Iraq has now barred interrogators from using some so-called "stress and duress" techniques, including sleep deprivation, dietary manipulation, stress positions, and use of dogs. Some of these techniques reportedly violate the international prohibition on cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. However, the authorities have not precluded the use of such techniques in interrogations in Afghanistan, Guantánamo or at secret locations.

"Prosecuting alleged perpetrators caught on film in Abu Ghraib through military proceedings will not ensure that justice is done," AI officials charged. "Full accountability, of persons at all levels of the chain of command, including officers in the armed forces, Central Intelligence Agency personnel and private contractors, is crucial."

The international human rights agency is urging American citizens to contact their congressional representatives to call for a broad inquiry into U.S. detention policies.

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