CPTnet
30 June 2005
IRAQ UPDATE: 19-22 June 2005
Sunday, 19 June 2005
Will Van Wagenen, Greg Rollins and Anita David went to a demonstration at
the Ministry of Human Rights (MHR) held by a women's organization in support
of detainees. At one point a manager in charge of the detainee department
for the MHR came out. The manager listened to the parents of a missing Iraqi
man and then had them taken inside to give their testimony.
The CPTers spoke with a businesswoman detained by U.S. forces for
twenty-eight days. U.S. forces investigated her for "anti-Coalition
activity," but decided she was innocent. She said the U.S. soldiers treated
her well and never offended her. However, she said the Iraqi National Guard
(ING) did not treat her well.
David then videotaped a little boy allegedly shot in the head by U.S.
soldiers. The bullet blinded his left eye and his grandmother said the
surgery to fix the problem could not be done in Iraq. The team also heard
from a woman who said the U.S. killed four of her children in raids on her
apartment complex. Her husband went insane from the loss. She was at the MHR
to received compensation for the deaths but no one was helping her.
Monday, 20 June 2005
Tom Fox and Rollins traveled to the outskirts of Fallujah for a meeting with
a friend that turned out to be canceled. They decided to go into the city
and make follow-up meetings with contacts from previous visits (see 29 June
2005 CPTnet release, "Focus on Fallujah. CPT Iraq's assessment of current
conditions, 20 June 2005.")
David and Van Wagenen went to the Ministry of Justice to learn whether the
ING had lists available for Iraqi families of detainees in Iraqi prisons.
They also wanted to find an Iraqi man
who was arrested in March, by undetermined authorities. Family and friends
have not heard from him since. The CPTers learned that the list of detainees
is a matter for the Ministry of Defense. However, they met with the Deputy
Minister of Justice who took the name of the man for whom they were
searching and said he would seek information on their behalf. He offered to
help them if they had any other concerns.
David and Van Wagenen then went to the Ministry of Interior where they
presented three letters concerning the missing Iraqi man to officers of
three different departments. Officers at two of the departments asked CPT to
call in several days and at the third office an official made a call to
someone who had a list of security detainees and told them the man was not
on that list.
At one department, the CPTers learned from an Iraqi officer about an Iraqi
Special Operations team that operates outside the law with U.S. Intelligence
agencies, the U.S. Army and with the knowledge of the U.S. embassy.
Twenty-five percent of the soldiers have a history of criminal activity. At
present, this Brigade has imprisoned about 700 people, of which 650 are
Sunni. The Brigade raids houses at night and blackmails, kidnaps, tortures
and kills Iraqis.
The officer spoke of a television show on which supposed criminals confess
to crimes. The officer said the show is false. No warrants are issued for
these people; they have not been charged, tried or brought before any court.
Instead they are interrogated for five days, in some cases tortured, and
then put on T.V. to confess. Iraqi security personnel sometimes release
them after their confession.
The official also spoke about embezzlement. He said he was handed 128
million Iraqi Dinar ($ 8,900 U.S.) for Iraqi Police salaries. He did not
tell the CPTers by whom but said that no one asked him for a receipt. The
officer said he could have taken it home but he gave it to the finance
minister. The minister turned it over to officers from the El Hussein
Brigade (which may or may not be the special operations team described
above) who kept it.
Tuesday, 21 June
A friend of the team's from the village of Abu Ghraib came to the CPT
apartment with his niece. They sought help for the niece's skin condition
that they believe is a mild form of leprosy.
Wednesday, 22 June
Rollins and Van Wagenen spent the night at an Iraqi friend's house. The
friend said his house does not have any water and he must spend several
hours every evening filling large cans from friends' homes and carrying them
to the roof to fill his water tank.
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