Intifada
7th March 2004, 11:26
taken from aljazeera
More than 10,000 Iraqi men and boys are being kept in jail by their US occupiers, with the youngest captive just 11 years old.
According to the New York Times on Sunday, one village north of Baghdad is now completely devoid of men – even grandfathers as old as 75 make it to the detention centres.
In Abu Sifa, it is only women who till the fields, care for children, guard their homes and carry the heavy sacks of grapefruit to market.
Few know where their relatives are being held.
A US move to post some names on the internet has proved largely useless, with few having access to a computer.
No rights
One villager, Fadil Abd Al-Hamid told the newspaper: "It took the Americans five minutes to take my son. It has taken me more than three weeks to find him."
Adil Allami, a lawyer with the Human Rights Organization of Iraq, said security detainees had essentially no rights.
None have lawyers, and most are denied visits.
"Iraq has turned into one big Guantanamo," Allami said, referring to the United States military prison in Cuba where hundreds of suspects are being held, mostly without charges.
Necessity of arrests
But military officials said some of the detainees had been accused of serious offenses, including shooting down helicopters and planting roadside bombs.
However, these same officials acknowledge that most of the people captured are probably not dangerous.
Of a recent batch of cases reviewed by military judges, they recommended that 963 of 1166 detainees be released.
Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, the deputy director of operations from occupation forces, agreed it was difficult for soldiers to do police work.
"We don't want to arrest an entire village and come out with one rifle", but with 10,000 arrested this is exactly what has happened in some regions.
More than 10,000 Iraqi men and boys are being kept in jail by their US occupiers, with the youngest captive just 11 years old.
According to the New York Times on Sunday, one village north of Baghdad is now completely devoid of men – even grandfathers as old as 75 make it to the detention centres.
In Abu Sifa, it is only women who till the fields, care for children, guard their homes and carry the heavy sacks of grapefruit to market.
Few know where their relatives are being held.
A US move to post some names on the internet has proved largely useless, with few having access to a computer.
No rights
One villager, Fadil Abd Al-Hamid told the newspaper: "It took the Americans five minutes to take my son. It has taken me more than three weeks to find him."
Adil Allami, a lawyer with the Human Rights Organization of Iraq, said security detainees had essentially no rights.
None have lawyers, and most are denied visits.
"Iraq has turned into one big Guantanamo," Allami said, referring to the United States military prison in Cuba where hundreds of suspects are being held, mostly without charges.
Necessity of arrests
But military officials said some of the detainees had been accused of serious offenses, including shooting down helicopters and planting roadside bombs.
However, these same officials acknowledge that most of the people captured are probably not dangerous.
Of a recent batch of cases reviewed by military judges, they recommended that 963 of 1166 detainees be released.
Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, the deputy director of operations from occupation forces, agreed it was difficult for soldiers to do police work.
"We don't want to arrest an entire village and come out with one rifle", but with 10,000 arrested this is exactly what has happened in some regions.