Asia Times: Jailhouse rock [View All]

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Jailhouse rock
By Jim Lobe
Jun 2, 2005

WASHINGTON - Stung by Amnesty International's condemnation of US detention facilities in Iraq and elsewhere overseas, the administration of President George W Bush is reacting with indignation and even suggestions that terrorists are using the world's largest human-rights organization.

The latest denunciation came from Bush himself during a White House press conference on Tuesday. "I'm aware of the Amnesty International report, and it's absurd. The United States is a country that promotes freedom around the world," he said, and added that Washington had "investigated every single complaint against the detainees."

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At issue is an Amnesty report released last Thursday that assailed US detention practices. Since its release, a succession of top US administration officials and their right-wing backers in the major media has denounced the London-based group in what appears increasingly like an orchestrated effort to discredit independent human-rights critics. A similar campaign appeared to target Newsweek magazine earlier this month.

"It looks like a campaign," Human Rights Watch (HRW) advocacy chief Reed Brody said on Tuesday. "There's been a real drumbeat since Amnesty published the report. It seems like there's an attempt to silence critics."

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