New investigation of Abu Ghraib: ICRC

GENEVA – The International Committee of the Red Cross plans a new investigation of the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, the aid agency’s chief said.

The ICRC wants to see for itself what improvements the American military has made at the detention facility near Baghdad in the wake of the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal, Red Cross President Jakob Kellenberger said in an interview published yesterday. “We’re going to inspect Abu Ghraib again,” Kellenberger told the weekly Sonntags Zeitung.”We started our visits in spring 2003 and since then we’ve seen gradual improvements.But in the past, not all our demands have been met.”The next visit will allow us to find out how things stand today,” Kellenberger said, without giving details of the planned visit.Contacted by The Associated Press, ICRC spokesman Eros Bosisio confirmed Kellenberger’s comments were accurate as published but declined to elaborate.The neutral ICRC has faced calls to drop its policy of confidentiality in dealing with prisoners in Iraq after the publication of a leaked Red Cross report to US authorities.The report, published May 7 in The Wall Street Journal, was a summary of the ICRC’s attempts in person and in writing from March to November 2003 to get US officials to stop abuses.Kellenberger reiterated that the ICRC had not leaked the report and would not change its quiet approach, which the agency says is the best protection for victims of war.The Red Cross pressure far preceded the Pentagon’s decision to investigate after a low-ranking US soldier stepped forward in January.The prisoner abuse erupted into an international scandal late last month after the publication of photographs showing US guards mistreating and humiliating detainees.Kellenberger also said the ICRC was keeping watch on a series of US Army inquiries into prisoner deaths in Iraq.”We’re following the situation,” he said.”We expect the investigations to be detailed.”So far, 30 deaths in custody have been subject to US Army investigation, according to military officials.Several have been attributed to natural or indeterminate causes.Eight were determined to be justifiable homicides by prison guards or other US personnel during four incidents, when prisoners became dangerously violent.Others are still.- Nampa-AP”We’re going to inspect Abu Ghraib again,” Kellenberger told the weekly Sonntags Zeitung.”We started our visits in spring 2003 and since then we’ve seen gradual improvements.But in the past, not all our demands have been met.”The next visit will allow us to find out how things stand today,” Kellenberger said, without giving details of the planned visit.Contacted by The Associated Press, ICRC spokesman Eros Bosisio confirmed Kellenberger’s comments were accurate as published but declined to elaborate.The neutral ICRC has faced calls to drop its policy of confidentiality in dealing with prisoners in Iraq after the publication of a leaked Red Cross report to US authorities.The report, published May 7 in The Wall Street Journal, was a summary of the ICRC’s attempts in person and in writing from March to November 2003 to get US officials to stop abuses.Kellenberger reiterated that the ICRC had not leaked the report and would not change its quiet approach, which the agency says is the best protection for victims of war.The Red Cross pressure far preceded the Pentagon’s decision to investigate after a low-ranking US soldier stepped forward in January.The prisoner abuse erupted into an international scandal late last month after the publication of photographs showing US guards mistreating and humiliating detainees.Kellenberger also said the ICRC was keeping watch on a series of US Army inquiries into prisoner deaths in Iraq.”We’re following the situation,” he said.”We expect the investigations to be detailed.”So far, 30 deaths in custody have been subject to US Army investigation, according to military officials.Several have been attributed to natural or indeterminate causes.Eight were determined to be justifiable homicides by prison guards or other US personnel during four incidents, when prisoners became dangerously violent.Others are still.- Nampa-AP