Seems like Bush's failure to enforce Geneva convention rules on his armed forces has gotten the U.S. into even more trouble. Now there are fresh photos of POW abuses in Iraq, being published on the internet.
I don't think Bush condones POW abuses personally (some would disagree) but clearly he is at fault for allowing Rumsfeld to bypass Geneva Convention norms of conduct.
Had concrete norms been laid down in the first place, not so bright sparks such as Lyndie England wouldn't have winded up in court.
It is reported that.....:
"The report quotes three US soldiers who described routine, severe beatings of prisoners, including a detainee's leg being broken with a baseball bat. They said abuse, at a military base called Mercury near Falluja, was not only overlooked, but was sometimes ordered.
The punishments handed out included sleep deprivation, withholding food and water, "human pyramids" like those seen in photos from Abu Ghraib prison, and blows to the face, the report claimed.
'Agenda'
One of the soldiers told HRW the abuse was ordered by intelligence officers in an attempt to gain information.
Another said it was seen as "sport".
"Everyone in camp knew if you wanted to work out your frustration you show up at the [interrogation] tent," he reportedly said.
"As long as no PUCs [prisoners under control] came up dead, it happened," he said.
"We kept it to broken arms and legs."
HRW said the reports "suggest that the mistreatment of prisoners by the US military is even more widespread than has been acknowledged to date".
Lt Col Skinner of the US Department of Defense said the dossier was trying to "advance an agenda through the use of distortions and errors in fact".
He said 400 investigations had been launched into prisoner abuse allegations and "looked at all aspects of detention operations under a microscope".
I don't think Bush condones POW abuses personally (some would disagree) but clearly he is at fault for allowing Rumsfeld to bypass Geneva Convention norms of conduct.
Had concrete norms been laid down in the first place, not so bright sparks such as Lyndie England wouldn't have winded up in court.
It is reported that.....:
"The report quotes three US soldiers who described routine, severe beatings of prisoners, including a detainee's leg being broken with a baseball bat. They said abuse, at a military base called Mercury near Falluja, was not only overlooked, but was sometimes ordered.
The punishments handed out included sleep deprivation, withholding food and water, "human pyramids" like those seen in photos from Abu Ghraib prison, and blows to the face, the report claimed.
'Agenda'
One of the soldiers told HRW the abuse was ordered by intelligence officers in an attempt to gain information.
Another said it was seen as "sport".
"Everyone in camp knew if you wanted to work out your frustration you show up at the [interrogation] tent," he reportedly said.
"As long as no PUCs [prisoners under control] came up dead, it happened," he said.
"We kept it to broken arms and legs."
HRW said the reports "suggest that the mistreatment of prisoners by the US military is even more widespread than has been acknowledged to date".
Lt Col Skinner of the US Department of Defense said the dossier was trying to "advance an agenda through the use of distortions and errors in fact".
He said 400 investigations had been launched into prisoner abuse allegations and "looked at all aspects of detention operations under a microscope".