Dossier Accuses Saddam of Torture

news.scotsman.com ^ | Dec 02, 2002 | John Deane, PA News

[copycat]

Britain accused Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein today of masterminding the widescale and systematic torture of his political opponents.

In a new dossier on the human rights abuses in Iraq, the Foreign Office pinned the responsibility for those violations squarely on the shoulders of the Iraqi leader himself.

In the introduction to the document – titled Saddam Hussein: Crimes and Human Rights Abuses – the Foreign Office said: “Iraq is a terrifying place to live.

“People are in constant fear of being denounced as opponents of the regime. They are encouraged to report on the activities of family and neighbours. The security services can strike at any time.

“Arbitrary arrests and killings are commonplace. Between three and four million Iraqis, about 15% of the population, have fled their homeland rather than live under Saddam Hussein’s regime.

“These grave violations of human rights are not the work of a number of overzealous individuals but the deliberate policy of the regime. Fear is Saddam’s chosen method of staying in power.”

The document went on: “Saddam Hussein has been ruthless in his treatment of any opposition to him since his rise to power in 1979. A cruel and callous disregard for human life and suffering remains the hallmark of his regime.”

The document listed Saddam’s favoured methods of torture.

They included eye-gouging; piercing of hands with an electric drill; suspension from a ceiling; electric shock; rape and other forms of sexual abuse; beating of the soles of feet; mock executions; extinguishing cigarettes on the body; and acid baths.

The report is being seen as a new move by the Government to make the case for an attack on Saddam but human rights group have expressed scepticism about the motives behind its publication.

Amnesty International secretary general Irene Khan said: “This selective attention to human rights is nothing but a cold and calculated manipulation of the work of human rights activists.

“Let us not forget that the same governments turned a blind eye to Amnesty International’s reports of widespread human rights violations in Iraq before the Gulf War.”

[copycat]

The Second in a series of anti-Saddam posts designed to illustrate that the peaceniks are marching in support of a fascist regime.

[OneLoyalAmerican]

Axis of evil bump.

[GrandmaPatriot]

--Amnesty International secretary general Irene Khan said: “This selective attention to human rights is nothing but a cold and calculated manipulation of the work of human rights activists.

--“Let us not forget that the same governments turned a blind eye to Amnesty International’s reports of widespread human rights violations in Iraq before the Gulf War.”

So that means it shouldn't be reported now? What idiots.

[copycat]

SADDAM HUSSEIN’S REPRESSION OF THE IRAQI PEOPLE

UNSCR 688 (April 5, 1991) “condemns” Saddam Hussein’s repression of the Iraqi civilian population -- “the
consequences of which threaten international peace and security.” UNSCR 688 also requires Saddam
Hussein to end his repression of the Iraqi people and to allow immediate access to international
humanitarian organizations to help those in need of assistance.

Saddam Hussein has repeatedly violated
these provisions and has: expanded his violence against women and children; continued his horrific torture
and execution of innocent Iraqis; continued to violate the basic human rights of the Iraqi people and has
continued to control all sources of information (including killing more than 500 journalists and other opinion
leaders in the past decade).

Saddam Hussein has also harassed humanitarian aid workers; expanded his
crimes against Muslims; he has withheld food from families that fail to offer their children to his regime; and
he has continued to subject Iraqis to unfair imprisonment.10

REFUSAL TO ADMIT HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORS

§ The UN Commission on Human Rights and the UN General Assembly issued a report that noted "with
dismay" the lack of improvement in the situation of human rights in Iraq. The report strongly criticized
the "systematic, widespread, and extremely grave violations of human rights" and of international
humanitarian law by the Iraqi Government, which it stated resulted in "all-pervasive repression and
oppression sustained by broad-based discrimination and widespread terror." The report called on the
Iraqi Government to fulfill its obligations under international human rights treaties.
§ Saddam Hussein has repeatedly refused visits by human rights monitors and the establishment of
independent human rights organizations.

From 1992 until 2002, Saddam prevented the UN Special
Rapporteur from visiting Iraq.11
§ In September 2001 the Government expelled six UN humanitarian relief workers without providing any
explanation.12

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

§ Human rights organizations and opposition groups continued to receive reports of women who suffered
from severe psychological trauma after being raped by Iraqi personnel while in custody.13
§ Former Mukhabarat member Khalid Al-Janabi reported that a Mukhabarat unit, the Technical
Operations Directorate, used rape and sexual assault in a systematic and institutionalized manner for
political purposes. The unit reportedly also videotaped the rape of female relatives of suspected
oppositionists and used the videotapes for blackmail purposes and to ensure their future cooperation.§ In June 2000, a former Iraqi general reportedly received a videotape of security forces raping a female
family member. He subsequently received a telephone call from an intelligence agent who stated that
another female relative was being held and warned him to stop speaking out against the Iraqi
Government.15

§ Iraqi security forces allegedly raped women who were captured during the Anfal Campaign and during
the occupation of Kuwait. 16

§ Amnesty International reported that, in October 2000, the Iraqi Government executed dozens of women
accused of prostitution.17

§ In May, the Iraqi Government reportedly tortured to death the mother of three Iraqi defectors for her
children’s opposition activities.18

§ Iraqi security agents reportedly decapitated numerous women and men in front of their family
members. According to Amnesty International, the victims’ heads were displayed in front of their
homes for several days.

19
TORTURE
§ Iraqi security services routinely and systematically torture detainees. According to former prisoners,
torture techniques included branding, electric shocks administered to the genitals and other areas,
beating, pulling out of fingernails, burning with hot irons and blowtorches, suspension from rotating
ceiling fans, dripping acid on the skin, rape, breaking of limbs, denial of food and water, extended
solitary confinement in dark and extremely small compartments, and threats to rape or otherwise harm
family members and relatives. Evidence of such torture often was apparent when security forces
returned the mutilated bodies of torture victims to their families.20

§ According to a report received by the UN Special Rapporteur in 1998, hundreds of Kurds and other
detainees have been held without charge for close to two decades in extremely harsh conditions, and
many of them have been used as subjects in Iraq’s illegal experimental chemical and biological
weapons programs.21


§ In 2000, the authorities reportedly introduced tongue amputation as a punishment for persons who
criticize Saddam Hussein or his family, and on July 17, government authorities reportedly amputated
the tongue of a person who allegedly criticized Saddam Hussein. Authorities reportedly performed the
amputation in front of a large crowd. Similar tongue amputations also reportedly occurred.22

[copycat]

Peaceniks march in support of this.

[KantianBurke]

"beating of the soles of feet"

forgive my ignorance of torture tactics but what does that acomplish?

[Dog]

You can't walk..

[copycat]

"beating of the soles of feet"

forgive my ignorance of torture tactics but what does that acomplish?

Never had the pleasure...We don't beat the soles of our political prisoners' feet here in evil, imperialist America.

[KantianBurke]

lol I'm sure. Seriously though I vaguely remember reading that if thats done to an individual they are unable to have an inner balance. I honestly don't know hence my curiosity.

[elhombrelibre]

This is an old torture and it's a very bad one.

It's stories like these they show why the French and Germans like Saddam so much. He reminds them of the good old days of Hitler. Please, no one tell me the Germans are our friends.

[Burkeman1]

While the organizers of these recent protest events do support Hussein there are some people who have no illusions about Hussein and his regime but yet still don't support a war against Iraq.

[copycat]

While the organizers of these recent protest events do support Hussein there are some people who have no illusions about Hussein and his regime but yet still don't support a war against Iraq.

That is the type of ignorance I wish to fight against through the widespread publication of Saddam's atrocities.

[alrea]

Helen Thomas BUMP

[Burkeman1]

You can save your breath. Quite frankly- people like Ramsey Clarke and the organizers of these protests don't care what Sadaam Hussein does to his own people. They are utterly blinded by hating America that they almost have a psycological break with reality. On one level- they know the guy is evil but they so hate this country that they rationalize his evil away and project it onto the United States. There is no hope for the these type of peaceniks. I myself oppose the war with Iraq but not because I hate America but because it is going to weaken us in the long run and get us into more wars and foreign entanglements. As for the rest of the "protestors"- the rank and file who merely attend these rallies- they don't hate war or all wars. They just hate Bush

Where were all these protests when Clinton was bombing Kosovo for 78 days for absolutley no reason? Where were the protestors when Clinton bombed Sudan and Afghanistan the day Monica testified? Or Iraq on impeachment vote eve? Nowhere- becasue it was a democrat doing the bombing. Disgusting.

[copycat]

As for the rest of the "protestors"- the rank and file who merely attend these rallies- they don't hate war or all wars. They just hate Bush

You are right about that. There is a fifteen pencent group that are active leftists and another fifteen who follow that crew.

Support for the war has fallen from 80% to 50%, however, so there is an untapped reservoir of persons who ONCE supported the war. Thirty percent of the people have changed their mind in the last few months...I think these people would be won back over to the war effort if they were being shown what Saddam really is.

[Burkeman1]

I don't know. The rest of the population who oppose the war are not left wing nuts or partisan Bush hating democrats- they may see it as unnecessary or not in our interests. They know Sadaam is a bad guy- but there are a lot of bad guys over in that part of the world. What leader doesn't treat their people like a herd for slaughter over there anyway?

[copycat]

This is what I wanna find out about...

DAVID BROOKS: I just want somebody to say to those people and I wanted to go down there and say here's a regime that has professional rape teams in their military where they rape women and send the videotapes to the fathers. Here's a regime that imprisons mothers and babies in the next cell and forces them to watch their babies starve to death. You know, what is the defense? Maybe we don't want to take out this regime, but is that the moral high ground? What is your defense for preserving that regime?

[copycat]

BTTT.

[copycat]

bttt

[tiki]

Tell that to the Germans and the French and the National Council of Churches and the US council of bishops. They don't seem to care what Saddam is doing to his own people as long as they can profit from the oil or look holier than thou.

The argument for invading Iraq should be pitched toward the horrid treatment of his own people. They should show the children who are blind because of Saddam's thugs gouging their eyes out. There is a need to defend the insidious evil of this man against the US but there is also a need to obliterate this man for the evil he imposes on his own people and if given the chance on the rest of the world.