US worse than Saddam, Arabs say
May 1, 2004
a.. On camera: Torture gallery
Photographs showing US soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners drew international
condemnation today, with Arabs saying the US campaign to win the hearts
and minds of Iraqis was now a lost cause.
"This is the straw that broke the camel's back for America," said
Abdel-Bari Atwan, editor of the Arab newspaper Al Quds Al Arabi.
"The liberators are worse than the dictators.
"They have not just lost the hearts and minds of Iraqis but all the Third
World and the Arab countries," he said.
The CBS News program 60 Minutes II on Wednesday aired photos taken at the
Abu Ghraib prison last year showing US troops abusing Iraqis held at what
was once a notorious centre of torture and executions under ousted
president Saddam Hussein.
The pictures showed US troops smiling, posing, laughing or giving the
thumbs-up sign as naked, male Iraqi prisoners were stacked in a pyramid or
positioned to simulate sex acts.
The US military has brought criminal charges against six of the soldiers,
including indecent acts with another person, maltreatment, battery,
dereliction of duty and aggravated assault.
US President George W Bush said he "shared a deep disgust" at the
treatment of Iraqi prisoners after the pictures were published and
broadcast around the world.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was "deeply disturbed" by the
pictures and that he hoped it was an isolated incident, his spokesman Fred
Eckhard said.
Britain, the staunchest US ally, condemned the abuse.
"Nobody underestimates how wrong this is," Prime Minister Tony Blair's
spokesman told reporters.
"Actions of this kind are in no way condoned by the coalition."
Meanwhile, British military officials today confirmed they were
investigating new allegations that their soldiers abused a prisoner in
Iraq.
They (Americans) said Saddam committed crimes against the people, now
they are committing more vicious crimes in front of the whole world.
The report came as the Daily Mirror newspaper published photos of a hooded
prisoner who was reportedly beaten and had teeth broken at the hands of
British troops.
"All allegations are already under investigation," General Michael
Jackson, chief of the General Staff, told a late night news conference.
"If proven, the perpetrators are not fit to wear the Queen's uniform. They
have besmirched the good name of the army and its honour."
The Mirror said it was given the pictures by serving soldiers from the
Queen's Lancashire Regiment, who were concerned that "rogue elements" in
the army were undermining attempts to win support from the Iraqi people.
The newspaper quoted the unidentified soldiers as saying the unarmed
captive had been threatened with execution during eight hours of abuse,
and was left bleeding and vomiting. They said the captive was then driven
away and dumped from the back of a moving vehicle, and it was not known
whether he survived.
The publicity could not have been worse in the Arab world, with the sexual
humiliation in the pictures especially shocking.
"That really, really is the worst atrocity," Atwan said.
"It affects the honour and pride of Muslim people. It is better to kill
them than sexually abuse them."
Arab satellite televisions, seen by millions of Arabs and Muslims, began
their news bulletins with the pictures, which they said showed the
"savagery" of US troops against Iraqi prisoners.
"They (Americans) said Saddam committed crimes against the people, now
they are committing more vicious crimes in front of the whole world," said
Yemeni university student Faez al-Kaynai.
Many said the photographs shattered the credibility of the United States
as a promoter of democracy and human rights.
Egyptian Mahmoud Walid, 28, said: "It quite clearly showed to me the whole
insanity of this war. These soldiers are being touted as the saviours of
the Iraqi people and America claims to be the moral leader of the world,
but ... they have been exposed, the whole world sees them as they really
are."
Jamal Khashoggi, media adviser to Saudi Arabia's ambassador in London,
said US officials responsible for policy in Iraq should be held
responsible for such acts, which he said reflected "deep contempt" for
Arabs.
"It is a big failure. It is going to make people say 'what was wrong with
Saddam?'," he said.
In Geneva, the International Committee of the Red Cross voiced concern,
saying torture, humiliation and degrading treatment of prisoners was
forbidden in any circumstance.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch said Washington should investigate
the superiors of soldiers accused of abuse.
"The brazenness with which these soldiers conducted themselves ...
suggests they felt they had nothing to hide from their superiors," said
Kenneth Roth, executive director of the organisation.
"Their superiors should be closely scrutinised to see whether they created
an atmosphere of impunity that fostered this abuse," he said.
The release of the photographs was similar to the broadcast of amateur
videos of Canadian soldiers in Somalia.
After the videos were broadcast in 1995, Canada disbanded its elite
Airborne Regiment after its members tortured and beat to death a Somali
teenager in 1993 when they were part of a UN peacekeeping mission there.
- Reuters/AP
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: US Worse Than Saddam, Arabs Say |
03 May 2004 06:44:36 AM |
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On Sun, 2 May 2004 10:31:44 -0700, "WillyWaco" <g-ray@excite.com>
wrote:
US worse than Saddam, Arabs say
As well as most of the rest of the world.
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