TABLEOFCONTENTS Introduction......................................................................................................1 Tortureandill-treatmentgoeson.....................................................................3 Tortureandill-treatmentinIraqidetentionfacilities......................................4 UndertheeyesoftheMultinationalForce....................................................8 ThelegacyoftheAbuGhraibprisonscandal.............................................10 Withoutchargeortrial–detentionbytheMultinationalForce .......................16 LegalbackgroundtodetentionsbytheMultinationalForce .......................18 Reviewprocess..........................................................................................21 ReviewforinterneesheldbytheUSforces............................................22 ReviewforinterneesheldbytheUKforces............................................24 Lengthofinternment ..................................................................................25 Treatmentofinternees ...............................................................................28 Accesstotheoutsideworld........................................................................31 Visitsbyrelatives....................................................................................32 Visitsbylegalcounsel ............................................................................33 Visitsbymonitoringbodies.....................................................................33 Secretandunacknowledgeddetention...................................................35 Internmentofwomenandchildren .............................................................38 “HighValue”Detainees ..............................................................................39 Insufficientsafeguardsfordetainees–nolessonslearned? .........................41 AmnestyInternationalRecommendations .....................................................44 TotheIraqiauthorities................................................................................44 TogovernmentsofcountriescontributingtotheMNF–inparticulartheUS andtheUK .................................................................................................46 AIIndex:MDE14/001/2006 AmnestyInternationalMarch2006 BeyondAbuGhraib: detentionandtortureinIraq “Ihavelostayearandahalfofmylife” 43-year-oldformersecuritydetaineeandfatherofthreedaughtersfollowinghis releaseinSeptember2005;heallegedthathewasill-treated whileheldinUSdetentioninIraq. Introduction NearlythreeyearsafterUnitedStates(US)andalliedforcesinvadedIraqandtoppled thegovernmentofSaddamHussain,thehumanrightssituationinthecountryremains dire.ThedeploymentofUS-ledforcesinIraqandthearmedresponsethatengendered has resulted in thousands of deaths of civilians and widespread abuses amid the ongoingconflict. As Amnesty International has reported elsewhere 1 , many of the abuses occurringtodayarecommittedbyarmedgroupsopposedtotheUS-ledMultinational Force(MNF)andtheIraqigovernmentthatitunderpins.Armedgroupscontinueto wage an uncompromising war marked by their disregard for civilian lives and the basicrulesof international humanitarian law.Theycommitsuicideandotherbomb attacks which either target civilians or while aimed at military objectives are disproportionate in terms of causing civilian casualties, and they abduct and hold victims hostage, threatening and often taking their lives. Amnesty International condemns these abuses, some of which are so egregious as to constitute crimes against humanity, in addition to war crimes, and continues to call on Iraq’s armed groups to cease such activities and abide by basic requirements of international humanitarianlaw. Inthisreport,AmnestyInternationalfocusesonanotherpartoftheequation, specifically its concerns about human rights abuses for which the US-led MNF is directly responsible and those which are increasingly being committed by Iraqi security forces. The record of these forces, including US forces and their United Kingdom(UK)allies, isanunpalatableone.Despitethepre-warrhetoricandpost- invasion justifications of US and UK political leaders, and their obligations under 1AmnestyInternational,Iraq:Incoldblood:abusesbyarmedgroups,25July2005,AIIndex:MDE 14/009/2005. AIIndex:MDE14/001/2006 AmnestyInternationalMarch2006 2 BeyondAbuGhraib:detentionandtortureinIraq internationallaw,fromtheoutsettheoccupyingforcesattachedinsufficientweightto humanrightsconsiderations.Thisremainsthepositionevenifthe violations bythe MNFthatarethesubjectofthisreportdonothavethesamegraphic,shockqualityas the images that emerged in April 2004 and February 2006 showing inmates being tortured and humiliated by US guards at Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison and Iraqi youthbeingbeatenbyUKtroopsaftertheywereapprehendedduringariot.Thesame failuretoensuredueprocessthatprevailedthen,however,and facilitated-perhaps even encouraged such abuses – is evidenced today by the continuing detentions withoutchargeortrialofthousandsofpeopleinIraqwhoareclassifiedbytheMNF as“securityinternees”. TheMNFhasestablishedprocedureswhichdeprivedetaineesofhumanrights guaranteed in international human rights law and standards. In particular,the MNF denies detainees their right to challenge the lawfulness of their detention before a court.Someofthedetaineeshavebeenheldforovertwoyearswithoutanyeffective remedy or recourse; others have been released without explanation or apology or reparationaftermonthsindetention,victimsofasystemthatisarbitraryandarecipe forabuse. Manycasesoftortureandill-treatmentofdetaineesheldinfacilitiescontrolled bytheIraqiauthoritieshavebeenreportedsincethehandoverofpowerinJune2004. Amongothermethods,victims have beensubjectedtoelectricshocksorhavebeen beaten with plastic cables. The picture that is emerging is one in which the Iraqi authoritiesaresystematicallyviolatingtherightsofdetaineesinbreachofguarantees containedbothinIraqilegislationandininternationallawandstandards–including therightnottobetorturedandtobepromptlybroughtbeforeajudge. AmnestyInternationalisconcernedthatneithertheMNFnorIraqiauthorities haveestablishedsufficientsafeguardstoprotectdetaineesfromtortureorill-treatment. Itisparticularlyworryingthat,despitereportsoftortureorill-treatmentbyUSand UKforcesandtheIraqiauthorities,forthousandsofdetaineesaccesstotheoutside world continues to be restricted or delayed. Under conditions where monitoring of detentionfacilitiesbyindependentbodiesisrestricted–notleast,duetotheperilous security situation – measures which impose further limitations on the contact detaineesmayhavewithlegalcounselorrelativesincreasetheriskthattheywillbe subjecttotortureorotherformsofabuse. AmnestyInternationaliscallingontheIraqi,USandUKauthorities,whoboth operate detention facilities where persons detained by the MNF are held, to take AmnestyInternationalMarch2006 AIIndex:MDE14/001/2006 BeyondAbuGhraib:detentionandtortureinIraq 3 urgent,concretestepstoensurethatthefundamentalhumanrightsofalldetaineesin Iraqarerespected.Inparticular,theseauthoritiesmusturgentlyputinplaceadequate safeguards to protect detainees from tortureor ill-treatment. This includes ensuring that all allegations of such abuse are subject to prompt, thorough and independent investigation and that any military, security or other officials found to have used, ordered or authorized torture are brought to justice. It includes too ensuring that detaineesareableeffectivelytochallengetheirdetentionbeforeacourt;therightto dosoconstitutesafundamentalsafeguardagainstarbitrarydetentionandtortureand ill-treatment,andisoneofthenon-derogablerightswhichstatesareboundtouphold inallcircumstances,evenintimeofwarornationalemergency.2 Tortureandill-treatmentgoeson KarimR3,a47-yearoldimamandpreacher(khatib),wasdetainedandtorturedby US forces in 2003 and then by Iraqi forces in 2005. On each occasion, he was subsequently released uncharged. He told Amnesty International that he was first detainedinOctober2003byUSforcesinBaghdad,wherehelivesandisheadofa charity.Hewasinsulted,blindfolded,beatenandsubjectedtoelectricshocksfroma stun gun (taser) by US troops at a detention facility in the Kadhimiya district of Baghdad.Aftersevendaysofdetention,hewasreleasedwithoutcharges. KarimRwasagaindetainedinMay2005for16days–thistimebyforcesof theIraqiInteriorMinistryatadetentionfacilitytheyoperatedinBaghdad.Duringthis detention,hewasblindfoldedandthenbeatenandsubjectedtoelectricshockswhile beinghungupinamannerdesignedtocausehimexcruciatingpain.HetoldAmnesty International: “Theytiedmyhandstothebackwithacable.Therewasaninstrumentwitha chainwhichwasattachedtotheceiling.Whentheyswitcheditonthechain pulledmeuptotheceiling.Becausethehandsaretiedtothebackthisiseven morepainful(…)Afterwardstheythrewwaterovermeandtheyusedelectric shocks.Theyconnectedthecurrenttomylegsandalsotootherpartsofmy body.(…)ThefirsttimetheysubjectedmetoelectricshocksIfaintedfor40 secondsoroneminute.Itfeltlikefallingfromabuilding.Ihadaheadacheand was not able to walk. The interrogator said: You better confess to terrorist activities, in orderto save your life. I responded that I was not involved in theseactivitiesandthatIhadaheartcondition.(…)Latertheyforcedmeto 2HumanRightsCommittee,GeneralComment29:StatesofEmergency,UNDoc. CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.11,paras7and16. 3Attheperson’srequestthenameisnotpublishedinthisreport. AmnestyInternationalMarch2006 AIIndex:MDE14/001/2006 4 BeyondAbuGhraib:detentionandtortureinIraq confess on camera. They asked questions claiming that I was aterrorist but theydidnotevengivemethechancetoreply.They