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I
am writing this letter to insist that abuses by US and UK soldiers in the
Abu Ghraib facility and other detention centers in Iraq be declared a
violation of fundamental human rights and a breach of the Geneva
Conventions, and that those responsible be prosecuted to the fullest
extent of the law.
As
the Secretary General of Amnesty International Irene Khan puts it, “The
US administration has shown a consistent disregard for the Geneva
Conventions and basic principles of law, human rights and decency. This
has created a climate in which US soldiers feel they can dehumanize and
degrade prisoners with impunity. What we now see in Iraq is the logical
consequence of the relentless pursuit of the ‘war on terror’
regardless of the costs to human rights and the rules of war.”
I
write to you in the hope that you will take up Amnesty
International’s appeal to the U.S. administration to
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invite the United Nations experts covering torture and arbitrary detention
to immediately visit US detention facilities in Iraq and wherever else
they may seek such a visit.
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make use of the services of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding
Commission provided for by Article 90 of Additional Protocol II of the
Geneva Conventions to look into the allegations of abuse and related US
investigations.
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ensure that any victims of torture or inhumane treatment receive full
reparations, including compensation, as required under international law.
It
is the duty of the international community to do all in its power to
protect the rights of Iraqi detainees by putting an end to the abuses and
prosecuting those responsible.
Sincerely,
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