Posted on 05/19/2004 12:15:04 AM PDT by kattracks
WASHINGTON, (AFP) - Human rights monitors have complained they will not be allowed to observe in Baghdad the first court-martial of a US soldier accused of abusing inmates at Abu Ghraib prison."Barring human rights monitors from the court martial is a bad decision in its own right," said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa division in a statement.
"It also sends a terrible signal to Iraqis and others deeply concerned about what transpired in Abu Ghraib."
The New York-based rights watchdog said other, Iraq (news - web sites)-based groups were also denied access.
"It's positive that US military authorities are allowing the media to attend tomorrow's hearing," said Whitson.
"But it is unreasonable to exclude Human Rights Watch and other rights monitors who have expertise in the abuses at the heart of the court-martial."
Jeremy Sivits, 24, faces the court-martial Wednesday on accusations he took the now notorious photographs of naked Iraqi detainees forced to form a human pyramid.
Television cameras are banned inside the courtroom, but eight seats in the chamber have been given to Arab media to convey the coalition's seriousness in dealing with the abuse.
A separate room will carry closed-circuit television pictures to scores more media.
His trial will be used by the United States as a public demonstration that it is prepared to take action against those responsible for the scandal.
A single judge, who has not yet been named, will preside over Wednesday's main hearing, to be held in a stark, modern courtroom on the first floor of the convention center inside the compound headquarters of the US-led coalition.
To all the leftist humorless rights organizations, I say clean up your countries and pasts first.
We aren't perfect but on the whole we are a lot better than the world you come from.
Apparently, these so called human rights groups are interested in only those cases, real or imagined, where they can criticize the US.
Uh oh, you've broken the code. Get ready for the knock on the door in the middle of the night.
And here I thought it was the United Nations' "human rights" representatives from ethical Sudan were complaining about not being able to look down their noses at us.
Why isn't Saddam Hussein having a trial?
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