'Just World News' with Helena Cobban

Meanwhile, in the gulag

Attentive reader Christiane has been following some of the news stories about developments in the Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo cases. Since she figured that I was out of touch while in Iran (and Syria), she compiled a collection of some of the most significant of these stories.

Thanks so much, Christiane! These look like really valuable references to have here on the blog.

So the following is a lightly edited version of what she sent:

Meanwhile, somethings seems to be moving concerning the situation of prisoners, both in Abu Ghraib or in Guantanamo. Here are 11 links:

1) On the 30th of November the NYTimes reported on a leaked ICRC Report concerning the Guantanamo prisoners. (Also, here.)

Usually the ICRC reports are kept secret (it's a well established policy of the ICRC; in exchange they are granted access to the prisons and can make suggestions in order to improve the detention conditions.They also denounce what breaches the Convention and try to negotiate their end).

It is a good sign that some one in the administration leaked these reports. Maybe the government will eventually have to do something about it.

2) On December 1 the NYT carried this editorial on the subject, calling for an intervention in the Congress "who should make the actual government more accountable". (Also here.)...

3) December 1 also, Josh White of the WaPo wrote that the Pentagon authorities had been warned of possible abuse in Abu Ghraib's several weeks before the scandal of the abuse pictures spilled out. (Also here.)

4) Meanwhile, a US Human Right group has decided to file a complaint against Abu Ghraib's abuse in a German Court. (Also here.)

The move is not really threatening for the US. It will mainly embarrass Schroeder.. But it will lead to a lot of media reports..and while the case is still pending it could restrict the move of some the military personal concerned, especially Gen. Ricardo Sanchez who is based in Germany and directly named in the complaint, along with Rumsfeld, Tenet, Karpinski and other military personnel.

5) On Decmber 2, Josh White had another report on Afghan prisoners.

6) In addition, there's been the fairly well publicized "discovery" of additional photos, taken and later distributed by US service members-- in this case, Navy SEALs-- that indicate that abuse of prisoners abuse in Iraq may have begun as early as May 2003:

Some of the photos recall aspects of the images from Abu Ghraib, which led to charges against seven soldiers.

Though they have alarmed SEAL commanders, the photographs found by the AP do not necessarily show anything illegal, according to experts in the laws of war who reviewed the photos at the AP's request. Gary D. Solis, a former Marine Corps prosecutor and judge who teaches at the U.S. Military Academy, said the images showed "stupid" and "juvenile" behavior -- but not necessarily crimes.

The military says some troops are under investigation for the acts portrayed in these pictures.Of course, if the acts had been investigated and those responsible duly punished or correctd at the time, then matters may not have "progressed" to the point they did by November 2003...

7) Anyway, it looks as if the US treatment of prisoners is bound to get more attention. ICRC president Jakob Kellenberger has announced a visit to the US, where he is reportedly intending to discuss the issue of the treatment of prisonners on the table. However, no date has yet been fixed for the trip. So the Bushites can probably delay it as long as they want.

8) In other good news :

The leaders of 30 civil rights organizations yesterday called on the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee to closely examine the civil rights record of the Bush administration's nominee for attorney general, Alberto R. Gonzales.

9) Meanwhile, an important 16-member panel has proposed a reform of the UN, especially the Security Council.

The first accounts of the panel's work made it seem as though it addressed only the dispute between US and other UN members concerning whether it was illegitimate to invade Iraq. The good thing is that most members admitted it was an illegitimate invasion. The bad thing is that a new tendency seems to come out, to allow preventive wars-- provided they are expressly authorized by the UN and aim at preventing serious threats.

The panel members also identified new threats to global stabiliy, among them environment and terrorism.

10) Almost simultaneously, a harsh campaign against Kofi Annan has begun in the US.It targets corruption in the oil for food program; of course there were errors there, but figures in and around the Bush administration are probably using this campaign to replace Annan with a Sec-Gen more friendly to the US.

Four EU leaders-- Germany, France, Spain and Britain-- as well as China and Russia immediately claimed their support for Annan. (Recall that Annan was earlier the candidate US pushed for by the US, when they wanted to prevent Boutros Gali getting a second term).

11) The US is still fighting against the International Criminal Court, at all costs :

The Bush administration Wednesday sought to head off a European initiative to obtain Security Council support for an International Criminal Court role in investigating war crimes in Burundi. The move came one day after an influential U.N. panel proposed that the 15-nation council take an active role in backing investigations into atrocities by the world's first permanent war crimes court.