 May 2004
American Friends Service Committee Peacework Magazine Sara Burke, Managing Editor Sam Diener, Editor Pat Farren, Founding Editor 2161 Massachusetts Ave. Telephone number: Fax number:
pwork@igc.org Peacework has been published monthly since 1972, intended to serve as a source of dependable information to those who strive for peace and justice and are committed to furthering the nonviolent social change necessary to achieve them. Rooted in Quaker values and informed by AFSC experience and initiatives, Peacework offers a forum for organizers, fostering coalition-building and teaching the methods and strategies that work in the global and local community. Peacework seeks to serve as an incubator for social transformation, introducing a younger generation to a deeper analysis of problems and issues, reminding and re-inspiring long-term activists, encouraging the generations to listen to each other, and creating space for the voices of the disenfranchised. Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC. |
Afghan Prisoners Abused by US Military US forces operating in Afghanistan have arbitrarily detained civilians, used excessive force during arrests of non-combatants, and mistreated detainees, Human Rights Watch said in a new report. "The United States is setting a terrible example in Afghanistan on detention practices," said Brad Adams, executive director of the Asia division of Human Rights Watch. "Civilians are being held in a legal black hole - with no tribunals, no legal counsel, no family visits, and no basic legal protections." The report details mistreatment in US detention facilities. Released detainees said that US forces severely beat them, doused them with cold water, and subjected them to freezing temperatures. Many said they were forced to stay awake, or to stand or kneel in painful positions for extended periods of time. "There is compelling evidence suggesting that US personnel have committed acts against detainees amounting to torture or cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment," said Adams. The report describes frequent arbitrary arrests of civilians, apparently based on faulty intelligence, and numerous cases of civilians who were held incommunicado and indefinitely. At least three Afghans have died in US detention under suspicious circumstances. Human Rights Watch said that many of the violations documented were reported in non-combat situations, and emphasized that many abuses - especially arbitrary arrests and mistreatment of detainees - were inexcusable even within the context of war. Human Rights Watch said that Taliban and other anti-US forces operating in Afghanistan had themselves violated international humanitarian law by carrying out armed attacks and abductions against civilians and humanitarian aid workers. Under international law, those violations can not serve as an excuse for US violations.
President George W. Bush and officials in his administration stated
in June 2003 that the United States does not torture or mistreat
detainees in the custody of the United States. The report, "Enduring
Freedom": Abuses by US Forces in Afghanistan, is based
on research conducted by Human Rights Watch in Afghanistan and
Pakistan in 2003 and early 2004. See http://hrw.org/reports/2004/afghanistan0304/.
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