Life in Liberated Iraq

[Chris Alger]

Sound familiar? According to Human Rights Watch (and since supported by the State Department's own Human Rights survey), throughout 2004 the Iraqi regime installed by the U.S. engaged in <ul type="square">"the systematic use of arbitrary arrest, prolonged pre-trial detention without judicial review, torture and ill-treatment of detainees, denial of access by families and lawyers to detainees, improper treatment of detained children, and abysmal conditions in pre-trial detention facilities. Trials are marred by inadequate legal representation and the acceptance of coerced confessions as evidence. Persons tortured or mistreated have inadequate access to health care and no realistic avenue for legal redress. With rare exception, Iraqi authorities have failedto investigateand punish officials responsible for violations. International police advisers, primarily U.S. citizens funded through the United States, have turned a blind eye to these rampant abuses."[/list]Like they say, there's a long road ahead, so more of this to come. We're just getting warmed up.