BAGHDAD, June 6: The US-led coalition announced on Sunday it would still detain Iraqis considered a security threat even after the return of sovereignty later this month, sparking controversy in the wake of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal.
"The coalition will continue to detain persons who are considered a concomitant threat to our forces," military spokesperson Lieutenant Beatriz Yarrish said.
The statement was the clearest to date by the US military about its intentions regarding Iraqis arrested after the coalition's June 30 deadline for the hand over of sovereignty.
The unveiling of the plan came as an Iraqi prisoners' right group expressed outrage and Iraq's new justice minister Malik Dohan al-Hassan argued that his country would be responsible for all prisoners after June 30.
"All detainees will have their cases reviewed to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed with prosecution in Iraqi courts, whether the individual should be released, or whether he or she continues to be a threat and requires continued internment," Yarrish told AFP.
The military pledged to bring Iraqi officials in to help oversee the penal system. "The coalition was actively working to find ways to integrate Iraqi officials in all facets of detention operations," Yarrish said.
The US military's reputation in Iraq has been stained by the abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib prison, outside Baghdad, where some prison guards engaged in physical violence against prisoners and sexually humiliated them last fall and winter.
Graphic footage of detainees, stripped naked and posed in sexual positions, sparked cries of outrage among Iraqis and international rights groups, as well as accusations from watchdogs that the abuse of prisoners was systematic.
The number of cases of misconduct by US soldiers against detainees and civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan now numbers at least 91, and is likely to rise higher, the army said last Tuesday.
The Iraqi Prisoners' and Captives' Union fired off a condemnation of the plans for US forces to detain people after Iraq is granted its independence. It expressed fear the Iraqi government would not be able to guarantee the safety of detainees.
"Nothing will change. The power will stay in the hands of the Americans," said the group's founder, Mohammed Adham al-Hamed. "They have the freedom and power to do anything."
Concern also abounded about the status of the thousands of detainees still in US custody and how the coalition would reform its practices after June 30. The vast majority are listed as civilian internees. They have either attacked US-led coalition forces or are suspected of being a threat to the coalition.
The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) has expressed concern about the coalition's ability to guarantee each detainee gets a timely and regular review of his case.
"The problem is you cannot keep people indefinitely for being a potential threat," said Red Cross spokeswoman Nada Doumani. While those arrested after June 30 would not be protected under the Geneva Conventions, all those remaining in prison from the time of occupation would still be entitled to their rights, she said.
The procedures for those arrested after June 30 will have to be settled in a status of forces agreement between the US-led multinational forces and Iraq, Doumani said. "We will follow up and make sure there are clear judicial procedures for every detainee and ensure that judicial guarantees are respected," she added. -AFP
