Voice for the Vulnerable; Hoon's Answers Over Treatment of Prisoners Won't Do
Summary
FIRST the horror was conveyed in colour photographs; yesterday it arrived in black and white in the form of a Red Cross report. Hooding, handcuffing, beatings, threats, humiliation: it reads like the charge sheet of a Latin American dictatorship during the 1970s terror. Instead it relates to the behaviour of coalition forces operating in Iraq within the past year. In the Commons, Geoff Hoon, the UK defence secretary, followed the example of his American counterpart in Congress by apologising for any mistreatment and responding to concerns raised in the Red Cross report. Although Mr Hoon was the man designated to be in the legislative dock, it soon became clear he was not up to the job of giving satisfactory answers.
The ICRC report, published unofficially on the internet yesterday, covers the period from March to November 2003 and details behaviour at 14 places of detention, including ones controlled by British forces. According to Mr Hoon, three concerns were raised regarding UK forces. One was the death in custody of Baha Mousa in September last year, which was being investigated. The second was the routine hooding of prisoners, which he said ceased last September. The third case concerned a detainee who said his car was confiscated. This, too, was dealt with. In short, according to Mr Hoon, procedures had been followed and the system was working as it should.See the full content of this document
Extract
Voice for the Vulnerable; Hoon's Answers Over Treatment of Prisoners Won't Do
But other facts show this not to be the case at all. The ICRC had been raising its concerns regularl...
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