Red Cross named jail before alleged killings by PM

[Ms. Clio]

The International Committee of the Red Cross had urged an investigation of the brutal treatment of prisoners at the Baghdad prison where Iraq's new Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, is alleged to have executed as many as six suspected insurgents.
By Paul McGeough in Amman
July 23, 2004

The Red Cross request was made six months before the killings were said to have taken place at the maximum security Al-Amariyah police station prison.

(snip)

Two informants who said they had witnessed the alleged executions last month confirmed that the practices - including the use of electrical shocks - were still used on detainees at Al-Amariyah.

The Red Cross report, dated February this year, states: "During interrogation, the detaining authorities allegedly whipped with cables on the back; kicked them in the lower parts of the body, including in the testicles; handcuffed and left them hanging from the iron bars of the cell windows or doors, in painful positions for several hours at a time."

more here: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/22/1090464803942.html?oneclick=true

[Alpharetta]

1. this spin is "It's OK"

The rightwingers are saying Iraq needs a new strongman. Someone to make them fearful.

No worries how it plays on the international stage, the U.S. continuing our pattern of installing thugs into power.

[Ms. Clio]

2. Yes, I saw an article yesterday, I think, that quoted an Iraqi

who supposedly said that he didn't care if Allawi had executed the "terorists" because the Iraqis needed a strongman.

Wingnuts will surely seize on that to "prove" that the Iraqis aren't "ready" for democracy, perhaps not even capable of it.

[Alpharetta]

6. But - but -

Bush and Chalabi said they were "thirsting for democracy"

[Ms. Clio]

10. Actually, I think they probably are thirsting for democracy

But they will never get it from Bush and his strongman puppets.

[struggle4progress]

11. Or bloodthirty for democracy? eom

[msmcghee]

3. The sad story of the Middle East is that . . .

. . in a heavily male dominated, patriarchal culture, the strongest, meanest, smartest guy is going to make it to the top. The rest will fall in line or die ugly deaths. It's the oldest human story in the world.

Most of those in power in Arab countries don't just lack a desire for real democracy, they see it as a sign of weakness. Why would any Arab strongman, after struggling his way to the top, willingly give power to those weaker than himself? That goes against everything he has learned in his life.

Democracy requires some very smart, systems oriented thinkers, looking beyond their own immediate gratification to set up a system that benefits their descendants several generations down the line.

It's really not very probable in the whole scheme of things. Even we could well be on the way to lose it after our 225 year experiment with the improbable - thanks to Bush* and the neocons, and perhaps to our own failure to fight for it.

[xchrom]

4. uh -- that's hardly an accurate picture of iraq

the i believe it's a country with a record number of phd's.
iraq has always been a fairly sophisticated an complex place.
describing it as patriarchical, male, etc. is too simplistic and demeaning.

[msmcghee]

5. I'd agree that Iraq is (was) ahead . .

. . of most other ME countries. That was because SH ran a secular government. But it was still very very far from an egalitarian society.

Now you have the Sunnis and Shias getting ready to fight with the ex-Baathists for control of the country - with Iran actively supporting the Shiites.

How many of those PHd's were held by women? How many women held positions of power in government? Not many - if any.

Saddam Hussein exemplifies male dominated Arab culture - with a secular twist. And that allowed him to totally ignore any Islaamist injunctions against murder and torture of other Arabs - making his one of the most brutal patriarchal regimes in history. At least for any non-Baathists.

You are naive to believe there is some latent yearning for democracy there that has been suppressed. They are just fighting to see which strongman is going to be in charge - not to bring freedom to anybody, much less women.

[anarchy1999]

7. This is it, I'm officially wiped out for the day and feeling very ill.

It's been a rough day, rough week for everyone and this is just icing on the cake. I'm feeling a little hopeless right now.

[AlCzervik]

8. I'm also suffering from Iraqnaphobia

and i'm fucking fed up with all of it, and whats worse is that these human rights voilations are only the ones we have read about, i'm sure in real time over there it's much worse.

[Ms. Clio]

9. I'm so sorry--I too feel hopeless and helpless

Ready to scream the truth at everyone I meet.

But of course I don't.

Instead I hear about a soulless motherfucker who taped a dog's mouth shut in this 90-plus degree Dallas weather, and the poor creature died, and I cry and cry.

Sometimes I seriously think the whole human race deserves nothing more than extinction.