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The UN says hundreds are released
after a review process |
The United Nations has reported that the US military in Iraq is detaining
people faster than a new board can review their cases to determine whether their
rights are being respected.
The US-led force continues to hold far more prisoners than the Iraqi government,
and most are individuals picked up in mass arrests and detained for "imperative
reasons of security," the world body said on Monday.
"While progress in reviewing cases led to the release of hundreds, the
overall number of detainees continued to increase due to mass arrests carried
out during security and military operations," the UN mission said in its
latest progress report on human rights, covering the period 1 September to 31
October.
"There is an urgent need to provide remedy to lengthy internment for reasons
of security without adequate judicial oversight," it said.
The number of detainees now held by the US-led forces has climbed to 13,514,
according to the latest Pentagon figures, up from about 6000 in June and 9600
in September.
That is far more than the 7577 in the custody of Iraq's Justice Ministry, the
3916 held by its Interior Ministry and the 342 juveniles in the hands of its
Labour and Social Affairs Ministry as of 26 October, according to Iraqi figures.
The United Nations has repeatedly expressed concern about the large number
of detainees being held in Iraq without apparent due process, alleging that
thousands were being held for extended periods without charges or even preliminary
reviews to determine whether charges were ultimately likely.
Review process
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The UN says mass arrests have swelled the number of detainees |
The US military insists Iraqi detainees are having their cases promptly reviewed,
whether through referral to an Iraqi court or through the new prisoner review
board.
The board, composed of both Iraqi and US officials, was set up in August 2004
to speed the review of individual cases.
But the UN report said its standards violated both Iraqi and international
laws governing the treatment of civilians.
And while the board is reviewing 200 to 250 cases a week, "resulting in
some releases," the overall number of detainees is still climbing due to
more mass arrests, it said.
The US-led force is able to detain Iraqis under an exception to the Geneva
Conventions - which govern the treatment of civilians in wartime - granted by
the 15-nation UN Security Council in June 2004.
The council last week voted unanimously to extend the exception through to
the end of 2006.
